Gremlins is an iconic piece of ’80s pop culture, and it spawned a legion of imitators. Out of all the copies, which Gremlins knock-off is the most original? Directed by Joe Dante (from a script by Christopher Columbus), the 1984 classic combines the thrills and chills of horror with a small dose of family-friendly comedy.

The story concerns an unsuspecting teen who is gifted a small creature known as a mogwai. When he fails to follow the creature’s very specific care instructions, his new pet unleashes a legion of evil little monsters on the town. The film’s plot is essentially a platform for Looney Tunes-style humor and bombastic puppet action.

Besides just being a great film in general, Gremlins created its own subgenre in horror. Other filmmakers saw the popularity of the blockbuster and decided to try their hands at the creepy little monster trend. In the decade or so after the release of Gremlins, bona fide franchises popped up that started as cash-ins on the movie’s success.

Though some of them brought almost nothing new to the table, others took the Gremlins formula and ran with it. Originality isn’t necessarily the most important marker of a film’s quality, especially in horror, but some Gremlins rip-offs legitimately set themselves apart. Even though they live in the shadow of the classic ’80s flick, a few knock-offs shouldn’t be ignored.

5

Munchies (1987)

B-movie icon Roger Corman was no stranger to a shameless rip-off, but Munchies was arguably his most bald-faced copy. An archeologist discovers a mischievous little creature in a cave in Peru, and it causes all sorts of chaos when it’s brought to the U.S. Like the eponymous gremlins, the munchies have irreverent personalities and a penchant for havoc.

As a film, Munchies has a measure of appeal for those that like Corman’s brand of low-budget cheese. It’s perhaps the most ’80s Gremlins rip-off, and is stuffed with just about every cliché from the totally tubular decade. Unfortunately, the humor isn’t nearly as witty, and a lot of the sex romp comedy falls quite flat after about 30 minutes.

Munchies is without a doubt the least original Gremlins clone, and it’s one of the few rip-offs that wears its status on its sleeve. In a way, the film positions itself as the raunchy alternative to Gremlins. However, that raunchy sense of humor does little to supplement the point-for-point theft of Gremlins‘ shtick.

If there was any doubt that Munchies is indeed a rip-off, it was directed by Tina Hirsch, the editor of Gremlins. While Hirsch’s work helped give Gremlins a snappy and fast-paced tone, there was little she could do to improve Munchies. It’s the only rip-off that actually hired a member of the crew of Gremlins.

4

Critters (1986)

The inclusion of Critters on a list of Gremlins knock-offs comes with a big asterisk. Creator Stephen Herek has claimed on multiple occasions that the script was written before Joe Dante’s film premiered and that it was actually altered to be less like Gremlins before it was finally completed. Nevertheless, Critters would never escape comparisons to its more successful predecessor.

Dismissing Critters as a mere copy would be a mistake, and it’s a surprisingly charming monster movie. The film concerns a family who come face to face with little creatures from outer space and the alien bounty hunters sent to kill them. The title creatures are a bit more terrifying than the mogwai, and their mischief has deadly consequences.

Tonally speaking, Critters and Gremlins are actually quite different. The former eschews the Looney Tunes humor of the latter and has none of the whimsy of the aforementioned Steven Spielberg production. The division gets even more obvious in the Critters sequels, and the franchise becomes its own thing with each new movie.

Despite all that, Critters still loses points on the originality scale. It might be the best of the Gremlins-inspired flicks, but it still bears too much resemblance to be called "original". Though it may have been written before Gremlins, there’s little doubt that the success of Dante’s film influenced the production of Critters two years later.

3

Hobgoblins (1988)

There’s a case to be made for nominatingHobgoblinsas one of the worst movies ever. However, it is a unique addition to theGremlins knock-off canon. Unleashed from a film vault, a band of furry creatures cause everyone’s fantasies to become reality. That wrinkle to hobgoblin mythos is the only clever part of this movie.

Besides great script and strong acting,Gremlins had going for it was its budget and practical effects.Hobgoblins has none of those things,and hasthe worst creature puppets out of anyGremlins copy.