Gremlins (1984)

Director:

Joe Dante

Writer:

Chris Columbus (written by)

Release Date:

8 June 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous.

Plot:

A boy inadvertantly breaks 3 important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

Plot Keywords:

Pet | Midnight | Creature | Gremlin | Small Town

Awards:

7 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

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
Belinda Balaski	...	Mrs. Joe Harris

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Iceland:10 | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Ireland:15 | UK:15 | Netherlands:12 (DVD version) | South Korea:All | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Netherlands:AL | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Within the story, Gizmo was capable of singing or humming. Jerry Goldsmith wrote Gizmo's song as well, but Howie Mandel never sang it. A girl member of Goldsmith's congregation was hired to sing Gizmo's song, although she had never worked in films before.

Goofs:

Continuity: Just before Pete cuts the line of Christmas lights, the Sheriff closes the window of the police car (in order to keep a gremlin out). The window is alternately open/closed in subsequent shots.

Quotes:

Kate: Will you sign this petition? They're trying to close Dorie's Tavern.
Billy Peltzer: Sure. That's where my dad proposed to my mom, you know.
Kate: That's where everyone's dad proposed to their mom.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Chris & Reed in: Nightmares! (2006)

Soundtrack:

GREMLINS...MEGA-MADNESS

Memorable 1980's product still packs a mean punch.

Traveling inventor and salesman Rand Peltzer (singer Hoyt Axton) buys an unusual Christmas present for his bank employee son Billy (Zach Galligan): a strange, never-before-seen animal called a "Mogwai", whom Rand christens "Gizmo". There are three *extremely* important rules to follow in order to take proper care of "Gizmo": don't expose him to light, don't expose him to water, and above all else, never feed him after midnight. As you might expect, rule two is broken soon enough, and "Gizmo" spawns a quintet of new Mogwai. Then rule three is broken (unknowingly) and the new Mogwai metamorphose into little green devils called "Gremlins" that proceed to tear the little town of Kingston Falls apart.

After all this time - it's been a while since I saw it - I still get a kick out of it. Equal parts scary and funny, with memorable music score (and catchy central theme) by Jerry Goldsmith, and the little monsters are inventively realized by Chris Walas and his effects team. (The monsters range from being frightening to being absolutely hilarious.) The main problem for some viewers will undeniably be an approach that can be seen as mean-spirited and ugly. I can understand why some people wouldn't be able to stomach this film, particularly when Kate (Phoebe Cates) tells the story of why she doesn't celebrate Christmas.

Overall, this nasty horror / comedy emerges as one of my favorite 1980's pictures. This was the first film I saw legendary cult actor Dick Miller (a favorite of director Joe Dante) in, and he's remained an entertaining actor to watch.

Actors William Schallert and Kenneth Tobey appear uncredited.

Howie Mandel is the voice of "Gizmo", and the ubiquitous Frank Welker is the voice of lead gremlin "Stripe". Michael Winslow, the vocal sound effects guy from the "Police Academy" movies, was also one of the vocal effects artists here.

Some of you might want to keep in mind that the original draft of the screenplay was even darker, with horrible fates intended for Mrs. Peltzer and Barney the dog.

Before I go, I want to say that writer turned director Chris Columbus's script does beg questions such as: If the wrong time to feed "Gizmo" is after midnight, when does the right time begin?

8/10