5 science fiction-y movies you can watch on Christmas

FLORENCE, ITALY - DECEMBER 18: A robot of the project Robot-Era is displayed near the Chrismas Tree at nursing residence San Lorenzo on December 19, 2015 in Florence, Italy. In the Residenza Sanitaria Assistenziale San Lorenzo ('nursing residence') a robot acts as a perfect caregiver or butler for the 20 elderly guests. Robots developed within the project Robot-Era coordinated by Robotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa are designed and programmed to perform functions in the house, outside and in the condominium. The EU supported project Robot-Era is the world's largest experiment ever done on service Robotics, involving 160 people in real-world environments with a duration of 4 years. The project is coordinated by the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa with tests inside the residence until December 21. (Photo by Laura Lezza/Getty Images)
FLORENCE, ITALY - DECEMBER 18: A robot of the project Robot-Era is displayed near the Chrismas Tree at nursing residence San Lorenzo on December 19, 2015 in Florence, Italy. In the Residenza Sanitaria Assistenziale San Lorenzo ('nursing residence') a robot acts as a perfect caregiver or butler for the 20 elderly guests. Robots developed within the project Robot-Era coordinated by Robotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa are designed and programmed to perform functions in the house, outside and in the condominium. The EU supported project Robot-Era is the world's largest experiment ever done on service Robotics, involving 160 people in real-world environments with a duration of 4 years. The project is coordinated by the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa with tests inside the residence until December 21. (Photo by Laura Lezza/Getty Images)
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Gremlins

You’ve heard of the movie, you’ve seen the movie, but you’ve absolutely forgotten that the film was set during Christmas. That’s right, Gremlins is an out-and-out Christmas horror movie. It’s steeped in a bit of science fiction and mythological nonsense with the fact that the Gremlins have rules and their origin is largely unknown.

Are they mythical beasts? Dominative aliens? God in a furry brown and white exterior? Who knows. What we do know is that Gizmo, the lead Mogwai, is adorable and the Gremlins, for as awful as they are, sure do enjoy their Disney movies.

The movie starred Zach Galligan as Billy Peltzer, Phoebe Cates as Kate Beringer, Hoyt Axton as Randall “Rand” Peltzer, Polly Holliday as Ruby Deagle, Frances Lee McCain as Lynn Peltzer, Judge Reinhold as Gerald Hopkins, Dick Miller as Murray Futterman, and Howie Mandel as Gizmo.

The film remains a classic to this day, in part due to its outrageous antics by the titular gremlins, the adorable Mogwai that is Gizmo, and the film’s theme song; which remains a “banger” (as the kids say) to this very day.

So if your festiveness and yuletide need a little bit of the absurd, pop in Gremlins and enjoy your Christmas night.