Watch Gremlins Invade ‘Batman,’ ‘Indiana Jones’ & ‘Goonies’ in Amazing Fan Film
When Gremlins 2: The New Batch opened in theaters in 1990, it included a pretty crazy three-minute sequence in which the titular creatures break the fourth wall, destroy their own movie from the projection booth, and put on a different one (the vintage “nudie film” Volleyball Holiday). Later, when the film was released for home video, the scene was re-worked to mimic the Gremlins shredding a tape and replacing it with a John Wayne movie. But no new scene was filmed for the DVD or VOD editions of Gremlins 2 — until Gremlins mega-fan Sacha Feiner decided to do it himself. In 2008, the Belgian animator released his own “film break” sequence, which shows the Gremlins invading a Video on Demand menu and inserting themselves into films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Batman, and Goonies. Watch it above!
A puppeteer and filmmaker who boasts that he owns “one of the largest Gremlins collections in the world,” Feiner hand-sculpted and painted all the Gremlins puppets that appear in the film. In the behind-the-scenes video below, Feiner demonstrates his process for filming the puppets and integrating them into existing film footage. For example, he reworked the snake pit scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark so that Indiana Jones descends into a full-fledged Gremlin party, featuring hundreds of characters filmed separately in wacky costumes. (Skip to 4:05 to see Feiner’s “Linda Hamilton” Gremlin.)
In an interview with the fan site Gremlins Online, Feiner explains that he specifically chose to work with popular films that came out before Gremlins 2, to maintain a sense of authenticity. Goonies, he says, was “obligatory,” since the included scene makes a specific reference to Gremlins. And the 1953 monster movie The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms was chosen because it’s a favorite of Gremlins director Joe Dante.
With the help of family and friends, and an investment of 2,500 Euros for materials and equipment, Feiner was able to complete the movie in two months in his home. It’s a remarkable achievement, as even Rick Baker —the legendary special effects artist who designed and created the Gremlins — has noted. “It’s great!” Baker said of Feiner’s film in a recent interview. “You see him do all kinds of things we couldn’t do in our film with the technology we had at the time.”
Feiner originally posted the film to YouTube with the subtitle “Gremlins 3 Warmup,” and he’s made no secret of the fact that he wants a job on the next Gremlins movie. Now that a reboot is in the works at Warner Bros, perhaps he’ll get his wish? (h/t Reddit)
Image credit: Deadline