[Child giggling]
How embarrassing.
What a geek!
I'd burn that if I were you.
Yours isn't any better.
Gary, is that you?
You look exactly the same.
Gee. Thanks.
Look at Sam in kindergarten!
What a dork!
And just so you guys don't think
I'm getting away with anything...
This is me in first grade.
[Everyone laughs]
Cute.
Why do we have to bring these things, anyway?
Because photos tell the future.
They do?
Sure. Look at Gary's picture.
You can already tell he's going to be very serious.
And look at Kiki's smile!
You know she's gonna be trouble.
You got that right.
What does that dumb look on frank's face mean?
don't push me, little skid mark.
Seriously, you can learn all sorts of stuff from pictures.
The question is, do you really want to know
what the future has in store,
or is it better off being a surprise?
You might say you want to know,
but what if you discovered
that the future held something incredibly evil
and there was nothing you could do to change it?
Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society,
I call this story...
Smile. Good.
[Click]
Next!
Some kids are born to lead, others to follow.
And some kids, like Matt dorney,
are just born victims.
Yo, Matt! You read this book?
Um, no.
Oh. Well, are you sure you haven't read it?
Here. Look closer.
Ha ha ha ha!
Guess I was wrong. The book read you.
Oh, no! Leave it! It looks good.
I said leave it.
[Man] Next!
Woo.
It's ketchup.
Smile for the birdie!
[Man] Smile.
Good.
[Man] OK, superstars. Listen up!
Got your pretty pictures.
Good practice today, guys.
don't forget, we play eastern Friday night.
Bus leaves 4:00 with or without you.
Here you go, Dorney.
Jason. Good practice, guys.
Lots of hustle out there.
Hello? Anyone home?
Hey, don't bother wiping your feet.
It's a mess in here already.
Want some tea?
No, thanks. I...
I came about my pictures.
Yeah.
You were at my school last week?
The basketball team?
Oh, yeah. You're the ketchup kid.
What is it?
Hey, you want some more prints?
Not exactly.
You know, I used to be a pretty decent photographer.
"Always reveal the inner man." That was my motto.
What's your motto now?
"Take cash, 'cause checks bounce."
Whoa. What is this?
It's my picture. Must be some mistake.
No mistake. This is your portrait, all right.
But...
Tell me if I'm wrong.
No one notices you, right?
You let people walk all over you?
You don't take action?
In other words...
You are invisible.
Get it?
Camera never lies.
Look, my mom paid for real pictures!
She'd kill me if I gave her that.
Too bad. It's a striking resemblance.
Can you just take another one?
Sorry. No can do.
1 per customer, and I don't give refunds.
Great.
But...
Maybe I can give you something to make up for it.
Like what?
Maybe... a camera?
You just have an extra one lying around?
As a matter of fact, I do.
There's this 1 camera I think might be
just the thing for a kid like you.
Really?
Mm-hmm.
You keep it in a safe?
Oh, absolutely.
It's one-of-a-kind.
One of the first instant picture cameras,
a prototype from the 1940s.
Here you go.
All yours.
The thing really works?
Oh, it really works.
I can really have it?
Only if you really want it.
I want it! Awesome. Thanks.
Hey--listen, kid.
You be careful with that.
Sometimes it kind of...
I'll be careful, I swear.
Yeah.
Oh, and kid?
I think it still got some film in it.
[Click]
Oh. Film must be old.
Hey! Take my picture.
Forget it. It might crack the lens.
Ha ha.
What is this?
[Crash]
Hmm...I didn't do it.
The wind just blew it over.
Mom's not going to like this.
[Click]
Awesome.
[Click]
Aw, man.
Hey, Dorney. Yeah, we lost our puck.
You don't mind if we... thanks!
It doesn't slide right.
Try this!
There we go.
Hey, Coback!
You know, you're a total butt head.
What'd you say?
I heard you got the wrong end of a brain transplant.
Any truth to that?
Why, you stinking little--
[click]
[Coach] Let's go, gentlemen.
We don't have all day. Move it!
I'll cripple you later, you little dweeb.
[Grunt]
Aaaaaggggghhhh!
Guys! Get it off!
What happened?
[Coach] Don't touch it.
Go to the office and call an ambulance.
Jody Chung.
Yep.
Lisa Elliot?
Eh, maybe.
Jim Stepinaro.
Yep.
Ben Claudsen?
Nah, he's a maybe.
Tony Cryger. That's a definitely.
Matt, did you take my markers?
Uh, yeah.
I'm figuring out who in my class
deserves to have their picture taken.
Run that by me again?
Can you promise to keep a secret?
Hmm... OK.
This is really going to sound weird,
but you know that guy who took the basketball pictures last week?
Yeah.
Well, he gave me this.
It's like some kind of magic camera.
Whenever I take a picture,
something bad happens to the thing I shoot.
Hmm. Warm.
OK, have you totally lost your mind,
or is this some kind of sick joke?
No, I swear it's the truth. Watch.
You see that over there? Watch.
Just hold on. Wait.
That's... Really great.
It's gotta be jammed, or something.
That's really great.
I'm going back to Planet Earth, OK?
Amy, just wait.
Amy, wait!
[Click]
Stop it. I don't believe you.
Watch out!
Amy: I still can't believe it.
I mean, I could have been killed.
What are you doing?
There's something on this one.
Let me see it.
Amy, this isn't on the picture.
It's in the picture.
What?
It's weird.
It's on all of them.
It almost looks like...
What?
What do you see?
I think we got company.
[Music playing]
Mr. Calhoun?
It's me, Matt Dorney. I wanna--
[music playing]
Heh heh heh.
Excuse me, I'm looking for somebody who used to work--
no, no, no. I'm in Milano on Friday,
every other weekend.
Then, in New York for my gallery opening.
I'll call you from the plane, I promise.
Ciao, Bella.
Mr. Calhoun?
Se moi.
Oh. It's you.
Look, I'm really late for a shoot.
Mr. Calhoun, I've gotta talk to you.
Sorry, gotta fly.
Mr. Calhoun, the camera--
Look, kid. I had that camera for 20 years
and for 20 years it gave me nothing but bad luck.
I give it to you, and voila!
Bad luck gone! The phone's ringing off the hook.
Hallelujah! My life's just begun!
Mr. Calhoun, i don't understand--
look, kid, I used to be just like you--
afraid of life, afraid of everything.
When that camera came into my life,
I thought all my troubles were over.
[Sighs]
That camera meant power,
except the only power it had was over me.
It destroys everything it shoots.
don't let it destroy you!
Mr. Calhoun, what is it?
You saw the pictures. Have you seen the Gremlin yet?
Gremlin? The little thing in all the pictures?
Yeah. That little "thing."
Near as I can figure, it's all that little monster's fault.
What it is, I don't know. Hey! I don't care, anyway.
Mr. Calhoun, I don't want it!
You've gotta take it back.
Sorry, I couldn't take it back if I wanted to.
You can't give it away.
I tried 1,000 times.
You gave it to me.
Uh-uh-uh, no. I handed it to you.
That camera chose you, just like it chose me.
Maybe someday you can get rid of it, too.
Until then, I feel sorry for you.
[Sighs]
Misty, darling?
Andiamo.
[Click]
Hey! Aren't you supposed to say "cheese" when you aim that thing?
Where are you going?
The movies, and we're late.
You can't-- I mean, don't go.
We haven't been out in weeks.
It's only a movie.
Besides, you wouldn't be interested.
It's got dialogue.
Yeah, but... you might have an accident!
Don't be silly.
You can't go. Don't go, please!
What's gotten into you?
I can't explain, but don't go.
Listen, we'll talk about it when we get back.
Gotta go. Bye.
Why didn't you give it back?
He wouldn't take it.
Amy, I just took a picture of Mom and Dad.
What?
Don't look at it.
If we don't look at it, maybe it won't happen.
We have to!
Noooo!
We've gotta call the police.
And tell them what?
I don't know! We've gotta do something!
Where are you going?
That should do it.
I know, but what if the camera's already--
[car radio playing]
[Changes station]
[Changes to another station]
No way.
I'm gonna smash that camera to bits!
Forget it! It won't work.
We've gotta do something.
Matt, it's gonna get Mom and Dad.
Matt, what are we going to do?
I got an idea.
Matt, what are you doing?
Matt?
I don't know if this is gonna work,
but it's worth a try. Get down.
OK. Let's see what this thing does to itself.
Ready?
1...
2...
[Changes station]
And 3!
Aaaaarrrrggghhh!
Did it work?
Yes.
[Telephone rings]
Hello?
Hi, Matt? It's Dad.
Your mom and I are on the side of the road.
What happened? You guys all right?
No, no, no. We're OK. We're fine.
Some fool truck nearly ran us off the road,
and we missed the movies.
We'll be home soon, OK?
OK! Bye!
They're OK. They're on their way home.
Man, I thought they were goners.
Yes! What's the matter?
What's up?
I don't think that...
Get down!
What's going on?
The Gremlin! He's in the camcorder!
Don't let it shoot you!
Help me, Matt!
Is it safe?
I...I think so.
Get down!
Smile for the birdie!
Aaaahhhh!
Calhoun was right about the camera.
It destroys everything it shoots.
[Car horn honks]
Mom and Dad.
Now we have to figure out how to tell Mom and Dad.
Oh, boy.
Cool.
So, can I have my picture back?
Sure. But first, I want to get a group shot.
Aaahhh!
It's only a prop from Dad's store.
What are they scared of?
Gee. I don't know.
[Click]
Captioned by Grant Brown