The Definitive Verdict · Tis the Podcast
Is Gremlins (1984) a Christmas Movie?
✅ Yes — It's a Christmas Movie
Yes — Gremlins is a Christmas movie, and a darkly brilliant one.
Gremlins (1984) is set on Christmas Eve, opens with a Christmas gift, and uses every trapping of the holiday season — only to destroy them all in gleeful horror-comedy fashion. The Christmas setting isn't incidental; it's the entire joke. The contrast between holiday warmth and Gremlin chaos is the film. Tis the Podcast's verdict: it counts.
Why Gremlins IS a Christmas Movie
- ✓Set entirely on Christmas Eve in a snow-covered American small town
- ✓Gizmo is literally given as a Christmas present — the entire plot begins with a Christmas gift
- ✓Christmas decorations, carols, and holiday imagery are woven into every scene
- ✓The film deliberately subverts Christmas movie conventions — which only works because it IS a Christmas movie
- ✓Director Joe Dante has confirmed the Christmas setting was intentional and thematically central
Why Gremlins is NOT a Christmas Movie
- ✗The genre is horror-comedy, not holiday film
- ✗The Christmas setting is used ironically — the film tears down the holiday rather than celebrating it
- ✗It is rarely included in mainstream 'Christmas movie' lists or streaming Christmas collections
What Tis the Podcast Thinks
Gremlins sits right in the Tis the Podcast wheelhouse — a film that uses Christmas as a weapon against itself. Anthony, Julia, and Thom debated whether subverting the holiday is enough to count as celebrating it. Listen to the full episode for the verdict and Watch List ranking.
🎧 Listen to Episode 64 — GremlinsSee the full ranking
Where does Gremlins rank on the Tis the Podcast Watch List? →Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Gremlins a Christmas movie?
- Yes. Gremlins (1984) is set on Christmas Eve, begins with a Christmas gift, and is saturated with holiday imagery throughout. The Christmas setting is not incidental — the entire film is a dark subversion of the Christmas movie genre, which makes it, by definition, a Christmas movie.
- Why is Gremlins set at Christmas?
- Director Joe Dante deliberately set Gremlins at Christmas to create ironic contrast between holiday warmth and Gremlin mayhem. The Christmas setting is thematically central — the horror only works because it violates the comfort and safety of the holiday.
- Where does Gremlins rank on the Tis the Podcast Watch List?
- Gremlins is reviewed and ranked on the Tis the Podcast canonical Christmas movie Watch List. Visit tisthepodcast.com/the-watch-list for the full ranking.