Films: Gremlins (1984), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Alias: Mogwais, Gizmo, Stripe, Mohawk, Daffy, Lenny, George, Vegetable Gremlin, Brain Gremlin, Bat Gremlin, Electric Gremlin, Lady Gremlin, Spider Gremlin

Type: Unknown, possibly Mystical

Location: Civilized area

Height/Weight: From that of furbies to that of small dogs.

Affiliation: Good (Gizmo), Evil (the rest)

Summary: Some monsters just want to have fun. Unfortunately, fun can be a rather selfish indulgence at times, and there is no more selfish fun in this world than what the Gremlins are capable of. Besides, if someone gets hurt, they'll love it even more.

History: It all started when an inventor bought a young Mogwai (that's Cantonese for "monster" or "devil") and named it Gizmo. The rules of keeping one are as follows: don't expose it to bright light for fear of killing it, don't get it wet so that it doesn't asexually reproduce, and above all, don't feed any of them after midnight (whenever that is), or they evolve into the malicious gremlins. Naturally, all rules are broken in due time.

Notable Kills: After sabotaging a cruel lady's stair lift, it goes so fast that it launches her into the hard earth's crust. And all those Gremlins wanted to was to go caroling to her.

Final Fate: The first batch is offed by a theater explosion while their leader, Stripe, gets melted by sunlight. The next one has the bat cemented into a gargoyle, the spider lit aflame by a beleaguered Gizmo, and all the rest electrocuted to death by a runaway electric gremlin before it fizzles out.

Powers/Abilities: Can reproduce instantly from just a bit of water, and depending on the right genetic modification, resist sunlight.

Weakness: Anything conventional, but especially sunlight.

Scariness Factor: 4-Even at their wackiest, the Gremlins are not to be trifled with. With their sadistic minds and demented senses of humor, it's likely they'll think of exciting ways to kill you for their amusement. At least the Mogwais are kind of cute, especially the benign Gizmo.

Trivia: -The first film, alongside "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", created mass backlash for being allegedly PG, and yet featuring lots of violence and scares. Spielberg responded by helping create the PG-13 rating.

-The Gremlin's name comes from the Old English word "Gremian", or "to vex", and most accounts of them come from the 1920s, when plane malfunctions within the Royal Air Force would be blamed on the creatures.