Directors and producers making cameos in their movies is nothing new. However, Steven Spielberg has managed to evade most of our sharp film fan eyes for years. It turns out that Spielberg not only served as the executive producer on the hit 1984 movie Gremlins, but he also starred in the flick.
That is right, Steven Spielberg, the filmmaker behind some of the best movies of all time, like Jaws and Indiana Jones, stepped in front of the camera for the festive film. If you need a Gremlins refresher, the ‘80s movie is one of the best Christmas horror movies of all time and tells the story of Billy receiving a mysterious creature, Gizmo, as a Christmas present. However, chaos breaks out once the adorable Gizmo starts spawning monsters from its fur.
Now, before you ask, no, Spielberg’s cameo doesn’t involve any destructive Gremlins. Instead of seeing some filmmaker carnage, we get a glimpse of the director straight after the film’s title card at the beginning of the Christmas movie.
During the scene where Billy’s dad is attending a science convention, we briefly see Spielberg zoom past the phone booth. The filmmaker’s profile is shown for a split second as he drives around in a decked-out tricycle with a broken leg. It really is a “blink, and you’ll miss it” kind of Easter egg, so we can all be forgiven for missing one of the best directors, Gremlins’ performance.
The scene is actually packed with tons of fun Easter eggs if you look closer, too. On Spielberg’s tricycle, we see that the director is watching Poltergeist (another film he produced). In the same scene with Spielberg’s surprise appearance, we also see Jerry Goldsmith, the film’s composer, in a plaid jacket.
There is also Robby the Robot from the classic 1950s movie Forbidden Planet walking about. And finally, the time machine in the corner will actually disappear later in the scene. The whole sequence isn’t even a minute long, and there’s so much packed into it for film fans to enjoy.
Joe Dante (the director of Gremlins) obviously put a ton of love into every scene when it came to the monster movie, and it’s no wonder why Gremlins has stood the test of time today. While we wait and hope for the Gremlins 3 release date, there are plenty more festive picks for you to enjoy this year.
Be sure to read our guides on the best Amazon Christmas movies and the best Steven Spielberg movies of all time. We also have lists of all the new movies heading our way and the best family movies to watch over the holidays this year.