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:

You can't get burned seeing 'Gremlins'!

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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:

Gremlini

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

Unbeknownst to Joe Dante and Michael Finnell, Steven Spielberg was a big fan of The Howling (1981). After he came across Chris Columbus' writing sample, he fell in love with it and bought it. Then he decided that Dante was the guy to make it into a movie, took the project to Warner Bros. and also produced it with his own company, Amblin Entertainment.

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Goofs

When Mr. Hanson is calling the gremlin to come out from under the desk, his mouth does not move with the words being said.

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Quotes

Gerald: If it isn't Captain Clip-On. Guess who almost signed for unemployment today?
Billy Peltzer: I give up.
Gerald: You... But Mr. Corben had second thoughts. He gets so sentimental around the holidays.
Billy Peltzer: Imagine that.
Gerald: If it was up to me, I would have fired you in a second.
Billy Peltzer: Well, a merry Christmas to you too.

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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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Connections

Referenced in The Toys That Made Us: Star Trek (2018)

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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

Best of the small creature attack movies.

After this movie there were several other movies that tried to capitalize on the success of this movie. For the most part though they failed to live up to the energy and fun of this movie. Heck, not even the sequel of this one had the energy of this movie. Here we have a guy getting a pet as an early xmas gift, a cute creature called a Mogway. It however, does have a few problems, as it needs special care. One thing you can't do to it is get it wet. Well Billy does (that is the guy who got it). This breeds more of the little critters, and they are harmless enough at first as well. Then they are fed after midnight and this turns them into Gremlins. This new form is a beer drinking, candy eating, mischief machine that isn't above killing. Most of the original batch is killed off in a gruesome kitchen scene, but the leader, Stripe, gets away and dives into a ycma swimming pool, so the whole town gets overrun by the little monsters. This movie is very funny and enjoyable to watch. Even though the Gremlins do kill, this movie never gets as dark as some of the copycats, or too goofy like some of them do. It ends up being a well-made movie that is fun to watch.