Edgar Wright names the “most exciting film experience” of his life
The best filmmakers out there live and breathe movies.
They aren’t only passionate about the craft – they love watching movies and are always eager to experience new stories. To them, going to the cinema is always a goddamn adventure. According to director Edgar Wright, no other film experience of his life compares to the time he snuck into a restricted screening of Gremlins.
Wright is a distinctive filmmaker and a certified cinephile who has never been shy about his inspirations. More often than not, Wright’s references come from the most unexpected places. One may expect him to name his favourite zombie movies as sources of inspiration for Shaun of the Dead. Although the legacy of George A Romero has a significant influence on the film, the Coen brothers’ 1980s comedy Raising Arizona is actually the biggest fucking inspiration for Shaun of the Dead, according to Wright. The ‘80s continue to influence Wright’s work: his upcoming movie, The Running Man, is a Stephen King adaptation and a remake of the 1987 movie.
This spans from Wright’s formative years as a movie-obsessed teenager. His passion for film blossomed at a very early age. It thus comes as no surprise that the most exciting film experience of his life took place when Wright was only nine years old. Talking to Entertainment Weekly, he described the time he went to see Gremlins in theatres as an unforgettable adventure.
“In the UK, Gremlins was released as a 15 [meaning no one under 15 could get in], and I was nine,” he said. “I was so bummed. I had read the novelisation. I had all these Gremlins stickers. I was so excited.”
He continued, “And so, very naively, my brother and I went to the cinema manager and asked if we could watch it. I brought the novelisation with me and told him, ‘I’ve read the book! I know what happens, so I won’t be scared!’ Amazingly, the cinema manager let us in! I was hiding down in my seat. I thought at any second, he was going to change his mind and kick us out. It was probably the most exciting film experience I ever had.”
Wright’s experience is even funnier by learning about the mess that Gremlins made in rating systems around the world. Released in the US with a PG rating, many parents were concerned about their kids watching little demonic creatures being blown up in a microwave. Following widespread controversy, executive producer Steven Spielberg pressured the Motion Picture Association of America to create the PG-13 rating.
The British Board of Film Classification came down hard on Gremlins, giving it a baffling 15 rating. Every country came to a different conclusion about the movie. Decades later, upon the implementation of 12 and 12A onto the rating system, Gremlins was re-released in 2012 with a 12A certificate. Yet even if the rating existed in 1984, little Wright would still have had to sneak into the screening.
Wright was more scared about being forced out of the movie theatre than about the film itself, but that didn’t stop him from advocating for the movie theatre tradition throughout his career. It’s not only about the stories that unfold onscreen, but also the narratives that surround the whole goddamn moviegoing experience. To Wright, watching movies on the big screen is a call to action that applies to industry professionals as well. It’s all about letting yourself be surprised.
“I have a fancy set-up at home, but I still come out to the cinema because I want to see it [a film] with a crowd,” Wright concluded, while talking to Screen Daily. “That’s really important to me. I still want to have the same thrill I had watching Star Wars when I was three years old.”
