gremlins (film)

A 1984 American fantasy comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante.

The story follows young man Billy Peltzer, who receives a strange creature as a pet, which then spawns other creatures that transform into aggressive imp-like monsters later known as "gremlin" that wreak havoc on Billy's town during Christmas Eve.

The film's depiction of gremlin has since codified the relatively new folklore creature into fantasy worldbuilding.