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:

Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous. [Crossed Out] We're Here!

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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:

$12,511,000, 10 June 1984, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$148,170,000

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

Jon Pertwee and Mako were seriously considered for the role of Mr. Wing.

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Goofs

Throughout the film, Gizmo clearly says several phrases, such as "bright light" "Mogwai", "Deagle" and the Striped gremlin says "yum yum" when noticing a candy store. Billy hears these phrases throughout the film, yet when Gizmo says "bye Billy", he shouts, "they can talk?" As if he thought the gremlins couldn't talk up until that moment.

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Quotes

Robbie the Robot: Sorry miss I was giving myself an oil job
Robbie the Robot: This question is totally without meaning.
Robbie the Robot: Pardon me sir, stuff?
Robbie the Robot: Thick and Heavy?
Robbie the Robot: Would sixty gallons be sufficient?
Robbie the Robot: I rarely use it myself sir. It promotes rust.

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Crazy Credits

At the very end of the closing credits, once the theme has ended, you can hear the sounds of gremlins laughing.

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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 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Baby Comes Out (1993)

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Soundtracks

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector
Performed by Darlene Love
Produced by Phil Spector
Courtesy of Phil Spector International

User Reviews

Nobody's got a story like this one. Nobody!

A dark, crazy, twisted, inventive, and violent Christmas classic. There's really no way to classify or categorize Gremlins. It's too mean-spirited to be a kid's film, but not quite intense enough to justify a higher rating (but the 15-rated UK version makes a mockery of the BBFC guidelines).

Gremlins has long been an annual tradition for movie fans. The cozy, snowy atmosphere of Kingston Falls (which appears to be in upstate New York somewhere) is the perfect small town that we all wish we came from. Even when the Gremlins invade it's a homely place to be envious of.

I was frightened of the Gremlins when I was a kid, but they're really nothing more than gigantic smiles with arms and legs. They exist only to have fun at the expense of human life and private property. I suppose they could be a metaphor for hedonism or apathy.

Originally a much more evil script (intended to be an anti-Wonderful Life), Chris Columbus was inspired to write Gremlins as he listened to the rats in his apartment scurry about in the dark during the night. He lightened the material somewhat before filming began, but Joe Dante's wild vision makes it a twisted, festive reality.

Special mention must be made of Jerry Goldsmith's outrageous score and that famous theme tune 'The Gremlin Rag', a demented circus fanfare of anarchy and mayhem. It's crazy to think that over 26 years later it's still never been released on CD.

Gremlins sparked the rise of Chris Columbus as a creative force in Hollywood. Only 25 at the time of filming his career has been made up of classics, and Christmas classics, such as The Goonies, Young Sherlock Holmes, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Harry Potter, and Bicentennial Man. Joe Dante never scored a bigger hit, but his subsequent career significant;y defined 80s and 90s cinema with movies such as Innerspace, The 'burbs, Gremlins 2, and Small Soldiers. Goldsmith scoring every one of them until his death in 2004.

Neither of them knew the massive franchise and fan-following which Gremlins would provoke, but it certainly deserves it's place in pop culture history.