Gremlins (1984)

A boy inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

Director:

Joe Dante

Writer:

Chris Columbus

Stars:

Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton

7 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hoyt Axton	...	Randall Peltzer
John Louie	...	Chinese Boy
Keye Luke	...	Grandfather (Mr. Wing)
Don Steele	...	Rockin' Ricky Rialto (voice)
Susan Burgess	...	Little Girl
Scott Brady	...	Sheriff Frank
Arnie Moore	...	Alex
Corey Feldman	...	Pete Fountaine
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Mr. Anderson
Zach Galligan	...	Billy Peltzer
Dick Miller	...	Murray Futterman
Phoebe Cates	...	Kate Beringer
Polly Holliday	...	Ruby Deagle
Donald Elson	...	Man on Street (as Don Elson)
Belinda Balaski	...	Mrs. Joe Harris

Storyline

Minature green monsters tear through the small town of Kingston Falls. Hijinks ensue as a mild-mannered bank teller releases these hideous loonies after gaining a new pet and violating two of three simple rules: No water (violated), no food after midnight (violated), and no bright light. Hilarious mayhem and destruction in a town straight out of Norman Rockwell. So, when your washing machine blows up or your TV goes on the fritz, before you call the repair man, turn on all the lights and look under all the beds. 'Cause you never can tell, there just might be a gremlin in your house.

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Plot Keywords:

chinatown | dumb cop | shady businesswoman | greedy banker | voice over narration | 

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Taglines:

The Gremlins Are Coming!

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

8 June 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gremlins

Filming Locations:

Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,511,634, 10 June 1984

Gross USA:

$153,083,102

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$153,120,458

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Amblin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Had Walt Disney still been alive (he would have been 81) it is unlikely he would have allowed his beloved Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to be used in a film of this nature.

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Goofs

When Billy walks through the town on his way to work, even though there is heavy snow in the town square, the hills behind the cinema have no snow on them.

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Quotes

[Concession Stand at Movie Theater, Stripe pears his head inside the empty popcorn bin, sniffing around]
Stripe: Yum?
[looks across the street and sees the candy store]
Stripe: AH. Yum. Yum.

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Crazy Credits

The film title logo when end credits are finished

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Alternate Versions

Whenever the film is aired on the Hub, the scene where Billy's mom kills the gremlins [i.e. a blender, a microwave] is almost entirely removed.

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Connections

Referenced in Uno: The Movie (2016)

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Soundtracks

Make it Shine
Performed by Quarterflash
Provided courtesy of Geffen Records
Written by Marv Ross (uncredited)
Produced by John Boylan (uncredited)

User Reviews

Great Gremlins make an otherwise forgettable movie fun

I just watched Gremlins for the first time in maybe 20 years, and while that's admittedly a long time, I'm still surprised by how much I didn't remember. Which is everything except the Gremlins.

Didn't remember the main star was a teen boy, or that there was a nasty rich lady, or Phoebe Cates, but I sure remember those Gremlins.

The movie patterns itself after 50s horror movies, with a pleasant small town overwhelmed by one or more monsters. And like most of those movies, the characters in that small town are bland and generic, with only Hoyt Axton seeming like a character you'd actually want to know better.

So at first the movie is pretty much a watchable, vaguely comedic movie about some kid who works in a bank and gets a weird pet. But once things get crazy, the movie becomes a twisted horror-comedy that is terrific fun.

This movie is very much one of those film-buff-boy films of the eighties. The movie is constantly referencing other movies, both specifically, as when someone is watching Invasion of the Body Snatchers on TV, and implicitly, as with the doesn't-she-seem-like- Margaret-Hamilton-in-the-Wizard-of-Oz character. This is perhaps why it's a bit more of a horror parody than an actual horror movie - more funny than scary.

Anyway, it's not the world's greatest movie, but it is an 80s classic of sorts, and a good Christmas movie if you want something a bit non- traditional.