In 1943, Flight Lieutenant Roald Dahl wrote his first book for children, The Gremlins, about the mischievous creatures blamed by air force pilots for mechanical mishaps. Walt Disney attempted to turn it into an animated film, but while he was unsuccessful, gremlins appeared in a number of Warner Brothers cartoons and Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, one of the best-known episodes of The Twilight Zone.

In Joe Dante’s blend of comedy and horror, the town of Kingston Falls is overrun when Billy Peltzer doesn’t follow the strict instructions on how to care for his Christmas present, a mogwai called Gizmo. (Notes by Kevin Coyne.)

Tickets €12.

This is screening as part of IFI Christmas Crackers, a season of family favourites, classics and archive films in December. 

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