The Gremlin, also known as The Creature on The Wing, is the main antagonist of Richard Matheson's horror short story titled Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.
Original Short Story[]
Biography[]
In the original short story, Bob Wilson boards a DC-7 plane to Los Angeles. The gremlin soon lands upon the wing of the plane as witnessed by Wilson, whom he first mistakes the creature for a cat or dog, then later a man "whose clothes have been ripped off by the terrific winds". The gremlin soon notices that Wilson has seen it and vanishes from view as Wilson summons a stewardess to view it, leaving the woman to think that he has gone crazy. Once the woman has left, the creature begins to torment the nervous man, pressing its face against the window in an effort to terrify him. The gremlin then returns to the wing of the plane and begins to tear apart the wing's engine much to Wilson's horror. Once again the creature vanishes when Wilson summons both the stewardess and the pilot. It then resumes to tear apart the engine, causing it to briefly falter. Taking matters into his own hands, Wilson removes his handgun from his bag (which he had brought in case he wanted to commit suicide), secures himself tightly and throws open the planes side door. Partially sucked out of the plane, the gremlin then notices Wilson as the man opens fire on it. One of the bullets manages to wound the creature just as it lunges towards Wilson, slashing Wilson's face. Mortally wounded, the creature is then blown off the wing of the plane, carried away by the winds like "a paper doll swept in a gale".
The Twilight Zone Adaptation[]
Appearance[]
In the original series, the Gremlin was a portly, ape-like creature with thick, curly, fuzzy fur and prominent, ugly lips. It had deep-set eyes with monstrous black outline and a gorilla-like nose. Despite its ungainly appearance, it is capable of floating away swiftly when necessary. In Twilight Zone: The Movie, the Gremlin appears far more menacing. It is now a slender creature with a large, skull-like head, black hair and prominent, bulbous, light green eyes. Its grinning mouth is full of oversized, sharp teeth. Its arms are short in comparison to its legs and sharp black claws, and its body generally has well-defined musculature. It had double-jointed legs with black claws and a tail like that of the character Pumpkinhead from the Pumpkinhead franchise. It darts swiftly through the sky when flying.
TV Series[]
The Gremlin was seen through a window on an airplane by Bob Wilson who tried to alert the flight attendant. However, as soon as she arrived, the Gremlin disappeared. Bob then decides to relax. However, Bob opens his window to find the Gremlin with his face right near the window staring at him. Bob tries to alert his wife. However, the Gremlin once again disappears. Bob later keeps seeing the Gremlin through his window but realizes that nobody will believe him, and does not attempt to alert anybody else. At one point it curiously pokes its finger at the spinning propeller, pulling away suddenly but suffering no apparent injury. The Gremlin then starts to tamper with the engine, prying up a cowling plate on the wing. Bob finally decides to open the hatch and shoot the Gremlin with a revolver that he stole from the air marshal. The Gremlin appears to have been shot 3 or 4 times right in the chest, through the heart, and finally collapsed. However, it is unknown if it actually died.
Film[]
The Gremlin later returns in the fourth segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie. However, the creature is much different from its appearance in the original series. The character who sees the Gremlin is renamed John Valentine who sees a glimpse of the Gremlin from his plane window. Seconds later, the Gremlin comes into better view and is seen on the wing's engine and is struck by lightning, which seemed to have no effect on the creature. After trying to alert the others, John decides to try to go to sleep. However, he opens his window shade to find the Gremlin peering into the window and menacingly scowling at John, who starts to scream. John continues to see the Gremlin on the plane's wing and the creature finally starts to sabotage the plane by tearing pieces of the wing off and throwing them into the engine. When the plane starts losing control, John takes a gun from an FAA security officer and shoots open his window in an attempt to shoot the Gremlin, where upon he is blown into the window by the pressure differential. Stuck halfway out of the window in the raging storm, John fires several times at the Gremlin, which leaps towards John and bites his gun in half. There is a tense moment when the two stare at each other face-to-face, right before the plane drops through the clouds and the lights of the airport and city appear. The Gremlin puts its hand on John's face, seemingly about to kill him, but changes its mind and then removes it, grins at him, and waves its finger in an admonishing manner, annoyed with him for spoiling its fun but also amused by his attempt to attack it. The gremlin leaps off of the plane and is last seen flying through the sky like a deflated balloon, weaving effortlessly up into the storm clouds.
Other Names[]
- The Gremlin
- The Wing Gremlin
- The Nightmare at 20'000 Feet
- The Creature
- The Wing Creature
- The Man out there
- The Man from Outside
- The Gremlin from The Wing
- The Creature from The Wing
Gallery[]
Images[]
