|Film on the Fringe 6| Gremlins – From WWII Folklore to Spielberg to Shadow in the Cloud

In this episode of Film on the Fringe, we explore the chaotic legacy of gremlins—not just the mischievous Mogwai of ’80s Amblin fame, but the ancient trickster archetype behind them.

We begin with Shadow in the Cloud (2020), a high-flying feminist action-horror that places gremlins back in the skies of World War II. From there, we unpack the rich aviation folklore that inspired it, where Royal Air Force pilots blamed mysterious midair mishaps on unseen saboteurs. Gremlins were more than a joke—they were a coping mechanism, a reflection of fear in an age of mechanical uncertainty.

Our journey then takes a turn into folklore and fringe encounters. We uncover small beings from cultures around the world—Pukwudgies, Menehune, Kobolds—each one a trickster spirit, each one connected to nature, mischief, and mystery. Many of these stories echo the same themes: machinery breaking without reason, shadows flitting at the edges of vision, small figures peering in from the unknown.

From history to Hollywood, the gremlin myth evolves. We trace its path through Bugs Bunny cartoons, Roald Dahl’s wartime children’s book, and Spielberg’s unproduced Night Skies, which splintered into Gremlins, Poltergeist, and E.T. Each one reshaping a piece of the same legend.

We also revisit the infamous Hopkinsville Goblins encounter. In 1955, a rural family claimed they were harassed for hours by diminutive, big-eyed, pointy-eared beings with spindly legs and clawed hands.

Whether you chalk it up to owls or otherworldly visitors, the impact of that night would ripple into screenplays, creature designs, and cultural imagination for decades.

Featured Films:

Shadow in the Cloud (2020)
Gremlins (1984)
Poltergeist (1982)
E.T. (1982)
The Twilight Zone (Nightmare at 20,000 Feet)
Amazing Stories (“The Mission”)

Topics Covered:

The origins of gremlins in RAF folklore
Psychological functions of wartime myths
Roald Dahl’s contribution to gremlin mythology
Global trickster beings: Pukwudgies, Menehune, Tengu, Domovoy, and more
The Hopkinsville Goblins incident and its cinematic legacy
Spielberg’s unproduced Night Skies
From sabotage to screenplays: how folklore becomes pop culture
The modern evolution of the trickster—digital glitches, tech gremlins, and beyond

Links:

Author
Recent Posts

Adam Charles

Adam Charles has written for Walt Disney Television, Amblin Entertainment, and more. Over the years he has crossed paths with so many media personalities, he’s come to think of himself as the Forrest Gump of the film industry.