An ’80s cult horror comedy is taking the world by storm on HBO Max.

There was a time when horror films embraced their weirdness. The 1980s delivered a wild mix, from the surreal terrors of A Nightmare on Elm Street to the gooey chaos of The Blob. It was an era where filmmakers could blend practical effects, genuinely creepy monsters, and a hefty dose of absurdity without being confined to a single genre.

One standout from the 80s perfectly straddles the line between horror and comedy — it’s part Christmas fantasy, part creature-feature nightmare, and part dark humor. This film can make you laugh one moment and cringe the next, and it’s currently making waves on streaming platforms.

Gremlins, directed by Joe Dante in 1984, is a masterclass in mixing humor with real scares. Over four decades later, its mischievous creatures remain just as entertaining, and the film is gaining traction on HBO Max, where it ranks third on the platform’s top movies chart.

The story follows Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan), a young man who receives an unusual Christmas gift from his father: a small, furry creature known as a Mogwai. Billy names his new pet Gizmo, but taking care of this adorable creature comes with three crucial rules: keep it away from bright light, never let it touch water, and absolutely do not feed it after midnight.

Of course, things quickly spiral out of control.

When those rules are broken, Billy’s quiet hometown of Kingston Falls is overrun by mischievous, destructive creatures, turning a peaceful Christmas into a chaotic nightmare. The result is a wild mix of slapstick comedy and creature-feature horror.

The success of the original film led to a sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, released in 1990. Also directed by Dante and featuring Galligan and Cates reprising their roles, this follow-up takes the chaos to a high-tech Manhattan skyscraper, where the creatures wreak havoc on an even grander scale. If you’re in the mood for a Gremlins double-feature, the sequel is also available on HBO Max.

The franchise expanded further with Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, a 2023 animated prequel series that delves into Gizmo’s origins and the early adventures of Sam Wing in 1920s Shanghai. This series ran for two seasons, providing fans with a fresh perspective on the mythology of these mischievous creatures, and it’s available for streaming on HBO Max as well.

Fans can also look forward to a third live-action movie, though they’ll need to wait a bit longer than anticipated. Gremlins 3 is now set to hit theaters on October 6, 2028, after a delay from its original November 2027 release date. The first teaser gives a sneak peek of Gizmo peeking out of a backpack, and Chris Columbus, who penned the original film, is set to direct this new installment. Details on the plot and casting are still under wraps.