Gremlins (1984)

A young man 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

8 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 | 1980s | christmas | monster | gift | 

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Taglines:

What you see... isn't always what you get.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

An earlier attempt to have monkeys play the gremlins was abandoned because the test monkey panicked when made to wear a gremlin head.

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Goofs

At 64 minutes when the gremlins are driving the tractor and they hit the tree, the angle of the tractor in relation to the house changes between scenes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Randall Peltzer: Friends, let me introduce myself. Peltzer's the name, Rand Peltzer. That's me on the corner. I'm an inventor. I have a story to tell. Yeah, I know. Who hasn't got a story? Well nobody's got a story like this one. Nobody. It all started here in Chinatown. I was hitting the shops, trying to move a little merchandise, maybe even find a present for my kid. I tried this one place.

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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 Nostalgia Critic: Ghost Dad (2014)

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Soundtracks

The Gremlin Rag
Written by Jerry Goldsmith

User Reviews

Funny, entertaining, a little scary. Perfect as a child's first "scary movie".

This movie used to scare me immensely when I was younger. It was the first "scary movie" I saw as a kid, and I think that may effect why I love it so much today. Nostalgic purposes, indeed.

I think this movie is good for it's purpose. It's not meant to be some life-changing, or hysterically funny, or terrifying suspense movie. It's meant to give you some scares, some laughs, and entertainment. And it does indeed entertain.

We've heard since the 50's about little green men, and in this movie, they are there. And they don't even have to come from outer space, just Chinatown. The actual mogwai (what the gremlins are before they transform) are adorable. So at first you are surprised at how this cute little furry creature who sings a little song could produce other mogwais whom are not so nice. I won't give away how they reproduce or turn into gremlins, but it's all kind of strange, and very fantasy-like.

A great movies for adults to watch with kids for their first "scary movie". I watched it when I was three, and while it did scare me there for a while, I still loved it a lot. I would recommend maybe six years or older, and if they get too scared, tell them it's really just puppets. (It is.) Overall, this film is entertaining, very 80's, a little scary, and pretty funny.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

8 June 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gremlins

Filming Locations:

Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,511,634, 10 June 1984

Gross USA:

$153,378,102

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$153,633,143

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