106-652: Joseph James Dante Jr. ( / ˈ d ɑː n t eɪ / ; born November 28, 1946) is an American film director, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably Gremlins (1984) alongside its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)—often mix the 1950s-style B movie genre with 1960s radicalism and cartoon comedy. Dante's output includes the films Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Explorers (1985), Innerspace (1987), The 'Burbs (1989), Matinee (1993), Small Soldiers (1998), and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). His work for television and cable include
212-677: A biopic about his mentor Roger Corman and the making of his 1967 film The Trip , but has struggled to gather funding for it. Titled The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes , the film went through several permutations over the years, including one starring Colin Firth as Corman. In October 2016, Dante directed a live table-reading of the film's script at the Vista Theatre in Los Angeles , which starred Bill Hader as Corman, Jason Ritter as Peter Fonda and Ethan Embry as Jack Nicholson . Corman himself
318-625: A mad scientist . The film was released to theaters in the Summer of 1990 but did not perform as well at the box office as the original. Charles S. Haas wrote two more films for Dante; one an unproduced script about Chuck Jones ' early years at Termite Terrace and the other, Matinee about the Cuban Missile Crisis . In it, John Goodman stars as William Castle -type filmmaker Lawrence Woolsey, who specializes in horror and sci-fi B movies . Originally written by Jerico Stone, Dante said his draft
424-459: A satire of "some characteristics of Western civilization ", suggesting that Westerners may take too much satisfaction from violence. Gremlins can also be interpreted as a statement against technology, in that some characters, such as Billy's father, are overly dependent on it. In contrast, Mr. Wing is shown to have a strong distaste for television. Kirkpatrick Sale also interpreted Gremlins as an anti-technology film in his book Rebels Against
530-467: A '90s edge". Dante also directed the 1997 made-for-television film The Second Civil War , a social satire about anti-immigration . The film was allegedly troubled with a "tremendous amount of interference during post-production" by a studio executive at HBO . When Dante began pre-production work for Small Soldiers , a film about toy action figures who come to life, he was told to make an "edgy picture for teenagers." Later, after Burger King became
636-411: A Cocker Spaniel or something. Fortunately they did not go with it. These were the only two Mogwai I sculpted before the final one.” The film's script went through a few drafts before a shooting script was finalized. The first version was much darker than the final film. Various scenes were cut, including one which portrayed Billy's mother dying in her struggle with the gremlins, with her head thrown down
742-601: A Time in the West (1968), Orson Welles ' Touch of Evil (1958), Charles Laughton 's The Night of the Hunter (1955) and James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein (1935). He also loves the 1941 comedy Hellzapoppin' , a film from which he frequently steals gags. The director previously named his top five horror picks as The Innocents , Rosemary's Baby , The Old Dark House , Blood and Black Lace and The Black Cat . The moving image collection of Joe Dante and Jon Davison
848-485: A cameo appearance in Gremlins 2 , repeating his criticisms of the original on film, as an in-joke , before being throttled by the creatures; he later gave the second film a more positive rating, three out of four. While some critics criticized the film's depictions of violence and greed—such as death scenes, Kate's speech, and the gremlins' gluttony—for lacking comic value, scholar Charlotte Miller instead interpreted these as
954-432: A film. As Spielberg explained, "It's one of the most original things I've come across in many years, which is why I bought it." Spielberg considered Tim Burton to direct the film after seeing his short film Frankenweenie . After deciding to executive produce the film himself, Spielberg chose Dante as his director because of his experience with horror-comedy; Dante had previously directed The Howling ; however, in
1060-409: A gremlin on an airplane. Joe Dante had read The Gremlins and said that the book was of some influence on his film. In 1983, Dante publicly distanced his work from earlier films, explaining, "Our gremlins are somewhat different—they're sort of green, and they have big mouths, and they smile a lot and they do incredibly, really nasty things to people and enjoy it all the while". The story of Gremlins
1166-422: A horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town. It proved to be one of Dante's biggest hits to date, being the third highest-grossing film of 1984. "I'd never seen a reaction like that," Dante said of the film's first preview. "They thought it was the greatest thing ever and Warner Brothers was I think shocked, frankly, by how popular the picture became." After the success of Gremlins , Dante took on
SECTION 10
#17328585576961272-408: A horror film buff whose controlling girlfriend suddenly dies in a freak accident but when he tries to move on with his life along with his new partner, he discovers that his ex has come back from the dead in the form of a zombie . It was selected to be screened out of competition at the 71st Venice International Film Festival , and was released theatrically in 2015. For years, Dante has tried to make
1378-714: A man riding a recumbent bicycle ; Jim McKrell plays Lew Landers; composer Jerry Goldsmith plays a man in a phone booth; Kenneth Tobey plays a smoking gas station attendant; and William Schallert plays Father Bartlett. Animator Chuck Jones plays Mr. Jones, Billy's drawing mentor; he would later create the title sequences for the sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). Mogwai and Gremlin vocal effects were provided by Howie Mandel, Frank Welker, Brad Kesten (uncredited), Michael Winslow , Bob Bergen , Fred Newman , Peter Cullen , Jim Cummings (uncredited), Sonny Melendrez (uncredited), Mark Dodson , Bob Holt , Michael Sheehan , and Joe Dante (uncredited). Gremlins
1484-411: A manic melee of pyrotechnics that made random grabs for my sympathy and failed to hold my attention, A bit more coherent thought, and who knows, it might have been something good." Gremlins has been criticized for more than its depictions of violence. One BBC critic wrote in 2000 that "The plot is thin and the pacing is askew". However, that critic also complimented the dark humour contrasted against
1590-458: A result of seeing the film. Situating Gremlins in the children's horror genre, she argues that child viewers are invited to identify with the gremlins themselves, whose rebellious behaviour may function as a source of subversive pleasure. Colin Greenland reviewed Gremlins for Imagine magazine, and stated that "Two or three good jokes, three or four neat scenes, lots of detail, but overall,
1696-462: A small and furry creature called a mogwai ( Cantonese : 魔怪 , 'devil'). The owner, Mr. Wing, refuses to sell it to Randall, but his grandson secretly does, warning Randall to remember three important rules concerning the mogwai – do not expose the creature to light, especially sunlight, which will kill it; do not let it come in contact with water; and above all, never feed it after midnight. In Randall’s hometown of Kingston Falls, Billy works at
1802-451: A sponsor to promote the film, he was told to soften it as a "kiddie movie" and as a result, several of the action and explosion scenes were edited out. Dante also claimed there were 12 uncredited writers who did work on the film over the course of five years. When released in 1998, it received mixed reviews and was a moderate box office success. Dante directed the 2003 live-action/animation hybrid Looney Tunes: Back in Action . The project
1908-755: Is also slated to appear in the film's ending in a cameo role, which was reported to already have been shot in case Corman died before the film went into production. In 2022, the film's script was adapted and published in the form of a graphic novel. The film has been in its development stage for several years at SpectreVision . Dante directed a segment of the 2018 horror anthology film Nightmare Cinema starring Mickey Rourke , which also featured shorts directed by Alejandro Brugués, Mick Garris , Ryūhei Kitamura , and David Slade . The same month of its release, Dante launched his own weekly podcast The Movies That Made Me , with screenwriter Josh Olson as his co-host, where filmmakers and entertainers are brought on to discuss
2014-493: Is held at the Academy Film Archive . The joint collection includes feature films, pre-production elements, and theatrical trailer reels. Executive producer Gremlins Gremlins is a 1984 American fantasy comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante , written by Chris Columbus and starring Zach Galligan , Phoebe Cates , Hoyt Axton , Polly Holliday and Frances Lee McCain , with Howie Mandel providing
2120-509: Is unchanged as he didn't eat the food from earlier) and attack Billy's mother Lynn, while Hanson is murdered by his gremlin. Lynn and Billy are able to kill the gremlins, except for Stripe, who escapes to a local YMCA where he jumps into its swimming pool, spawning an army of gremlins that wreak havoc in Kingston Falls. Many people are injured or outright killed by the gremlins' rampage, including Mrs. Deagle. The police prove to be no help in
2226-672: The Motion Picture Corporation of America , and written by Charles S. Haas . Dante has also turned down the opportunities to direct Humanoids from the Deep (1980), Airplane! (1980), The Flintstones (1994), Casper (1995), and The World Is Not Enough (1999). Dante has cited Roger Corman , Chuck Jones , Frank Tashlin , Ernst Lubitsch , Mario Bava , James Whale and Jean Cocteau among his major influences. Some of Dante's favorite films include Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be (1942), Sergio Leone 's Once Upon
SECTION 20
#17328585576962332-464: The Philadelphia College of Art , Dante realized he was more inclined toward filmmaking: "I was told that cartooning isn't an art form and if I was smart I would take something else. So I took film. This was back in the days when everything was black and white , 16mm , silent – we were essentially making underground art films , so I can't say my filmmaking acumen derived from my teachings at
2438-582: The interactive web series Splatter for Netflix . The series stars Corey Feldman as a rock star seeking revenge on those he thinks have wronged him. From 2011 to 2017, Dante directed ten episodes of Hawaii Five-0 reboot , which he joked was "to get the rent paid." Subsequently, Dante directed Anton Yelchin and Ashley Greene in Burying the Ex , adapted from Alan Trezza's 2008 short film. Principal photography ran through November–December 2013. The film follows
2544-516: The mogwai or the gremlins. In contrast to this, other advertisements concentrated on Gizmo, overlooked the gremlins, and made the film look similar to Spielberg's earlier family film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Gremlins was released into North American theaters on June 8, 1984, the same day as Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters . Gremlins ranked second, with $ 12.5 million in its first weekend, $ 1.1 million less than Ghostbusters . By
2650-481: The mogwais larger to make their creation and functioning easier for the special effects team, Dante insisted on keeping their size small to enhance the cuteness of the creatures. Consequently, to satisfy the crew, a scene was included in which the gremlins hang Gizmo on a wall and throw darts at him. This was included on a list that the crew created known to them as the "Horrible Things to do to Gizmo" list. Rob Bottin and John Dykstra were originally considered to do
2756-454: The social satire The Second Civil War (1997), episodes of the anthology series Masters of Horror (" Homecoming " and " The Screwfly Solution ") and Amazing Stories , as well as Police Squad! and Hawaii Five-0 . Dante was born in Morristown, New Jersey , and grew up in nearby Livingston . His father was a professional golfer who encouraged him to play sports; however, Dante
2862-469: The Extra-Terrestrial . Polly Holliday , an actress best known for her role in Alice , played Mrs. Deagle. Dante considered the casting fortunate, as she was well-known, and he considered her to be talented. Two other well-known actors, Fast Times ' Judge Reinhold and character actor Edward Andrews , received roles that were significantly reduced after the film was edited; they played Billy's superiors at
2968-476: The Future . Another scholar suggested that the film is meant to express a number of observations of society by having the gremlin characters shift in what they are meant to represent. At different times, they are depicted as teenagers , the wealthy establishment, or fans of Disney films. Another scholar drew a connection between the microwave scene and urban legends about pets dying in microwave ovens. He described
3074-473: The Philadelphia College of Art. Almost all of it came from the school of Roger Corman " In his free time as a student, Dante began assembling The Movie Orgy , an epic collection of B movie clips, 16mm films, cartoons, commercials, and trailers that was seamlessly edited together into one 7-hour compilation. I didn't really learn much about making films, but I did spend as much time as I could at
3180-544: The Temple of Doom , Spielberg suggested that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) alter its rating system , which it did within two months of the film's release, creating a new PG-13 rating. It was followed by a sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). Struggling inventor Randall Peltzer visits a Chinatown antique store, hoping to find a Christmas present for his son Billy. In it, Randall finds
3286-481: The activities of his mysterious neighbors. Dante referred to Hanks as "the reigning everyman , a guy that everybody can identify with", comparing him to James Stewart . Production on The 'Burbs was filmed in chronological order (due to the 1988 writer's strike ) over the course of ten weeks, mainly on the Colonial Street backlot at Universal Studios . "There was a lot of temptation to broaden it and go outside
Joe Dante - Misplaced Pages Continue
3392-706: The bank. Tom Hanks also read for Gerald. Some of the performances were shot on the Courthouse Square and Colonial Street sets of the Universal Studios Lot in Universal City , California (Mrs. Deagle's house was one such set as well as the opening street scenes in Chinatown, which were filmed on the Warner Bros. Studios backlot). This required fake snow; Dante also felt it was an atmosphere that would make
3498-459: The chimney. Still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder , Kate confesses this is how she lost her Christmas spirit. Billy and Kate discover that the gremlins are watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the local theater. They set off a natural gas explosion, killing all the gremlins except for Stripe, who had left the theater earlier to get candy at a Montgomery Ward store across
3604-423: The complete score on disc one and the original soundtrack album on disc two (representing the latter's first North American CD issue); this was the label's final Jerry Goldsmith album. A CD release by Warner Archive Collection was released through WaterTower Music on October 10, 2015. DISC ONE: The Film Score Tracks 26–34 are listed as bonus tracks. DISC TWO: 1984 Soundtrack Album Financially, Gremlins
3710-406: The creation of the initial concept of the creatures, “After reading the script, my first idea was to take the tarsier , a little primate, and give it cartoony proportions. I wanted the big eyes to make it cute. I showed it to Mike Finnell and Joe Dante and they asked for some tweaks, so I made the next one. This is more like a puppy. Big, floppy ears. It’s not based on any one dog in particular — just
3816-412: The directors on John Landis ' Twilight Zone: The Movie . Dante's segment, a remake of the original Twilight Zone episode " It's a Good Life ", features cartoon -style special effects, revolving around a woman played by Kathleen Quinlan who is 'adopted' by an omnipotent boy. Dante also took over editing duties on George Miller 's segment of the film, after he left the project feeling repulsed by
3922-411: The editors to stop editing and deliver a shorter rough cut. As a result, about an hour and a half worth of footage was left on the editing room floor. Explorers marked the film debuts of both Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix , and has only grown in its reputation over time, developing a cult following . Dante reflected on the film by saying that he is appreciative of the warm reception it has earned over
4028-754: The end of its American screenings on November 29, it had grossed $ 148,168,459 domestically. This made it the fourth highest-grossing film of the year, behind Beverly Hills Cop , Ghostbusters , and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom . In August 1984, it opened in Argentina and Spain, and in October it premiered in West Germany . Screenings began in Mexico, Australia, and much of the rest of Europe in December. Since Gremlins had an international audience, different versions of
4134-498: The film "was really kind of a dream" given "what I get to do, what my character gets to do, blow up movie theatres", adding that he "got to work with great people". Spielberg commented when Galligan was testing with Cates that "he's in love with her already" and that was how Galligan won the part. Tom Hanks , Kevin Bacon , Ralph Macchio , Emilio Estevez , Rob Lowe , and Judd Nelson also auditioned. In contrast to Galligan, many of
4240-405: The film had ended. Dante admitted to reporters later that "the idea of taking a 4-year-old to see Gremlins , thinking it's going to be a cuddly, funny animal movie and then seeing that it turns into a horror picture, I think people were upset... They felt like they had been sold something family friendly and it wasn't entirely family friendly". The film became available to audiences again when it
4346-468: The film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 81 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Whether you choose to see it as a statement on consumer culture or simply a special effects-heavy popcorn flick, Gremlins is a minor classic." On Metacritic , the film received a score of 70 based on 13 reviews. Warner Home Video released Gremlins on VHS , CED Videodisc , and Betamax on November 25, 1985. The film
Joe Dante - Misplaced Pages Continue
4452-519: The film in America, as the film takes place during the Christmas holiday season, causing them to comment that it should have had a Christmas release date instead. In addition to this, there were also complaints from audiences about the violence depicted in the film. These complaints were particularly present in people who had brought their children to see the film, many of whom walked out of the theater before
4558-413: The film were made to overcome cultural barriers. Mandel learned to speak his few intelligible lines, such as "Bright light!", in various languages, including German. Regional music and humor were also incorporated into foreign-language versions. Dante credited this work as being one of the factors which helped to make Gremlins a worldwide success. However, many critics questioned the summer release date of
4664-591: The film's animation director Eric Goldberg had managed to preserve the original personalities of the characters, the film's opening, middle and ending are different from what Dante initially envisioned. Dante stated that he had no creative freedom on the project, dubbing the experience as "the longest year and a half of my life." According to Dante, the studio executives grew tired of the film's jokes and wanted them to be changed. 25 gag writers were then brought in to try to write jokes that were short enough to fit into an animated character's mouth. Despite this, Doyle remained
4770-464: The film's only credited writer. Following his experience working on Looney Tunes: Back in Action , Dante took a brief hiatus from movies, instead returning to television, directing two episodes of the horror anthology series Masters of Horror . In 2007, Dante launched the web series Trailers from Hell , which provides commentary by directors, producers and screenwriters on trailers for classic and cult movies. Dante also actively contributes to
4876-491: The film's release, convincing them that Piranha was a parody and that it wasn't in competition with Jaws 2 . In 1979, Dante directed some scenes of Rock 'n' Roll High School when Allan Arkush fell ill due to exhaustion, but remains uncredited. Dante also helped plot the premise of the film with Arkush. Dante again collaborated with John Sayles when he enlisted him to rewrite the previously adapted draft of Gary Brandner 's werewolf tale The Howling . Sayles rewrote
4982-557: The film's story. Starting in the early 2000s, companies such as Jun Planning and the National Entertainment Collectibles Association produced all-new Gremlins toys and collectibles. In 2017 Trick or Treat Studios began producing official Gremlins life-size puppets of Stripe and Gizmo. In May 2019, NECA unveiled their Christmas 2019 collectible, which features two Gremlins singing carols. Allan Arkush Too Many Requests If you report this error to
5088-441: The film, and his view was made clear in remarks he made on the television show Entertainment Tonight . He called the film "icky" and "gross". He later wrote that despite being set in a "picture- postcard town" and blending the feel of It's a Wonderful Life (a clip of which appears in Gremlins ) with that of The Blob , the film is "negated by too-vivid violence and mayhem"; giving the film two out of four. Maltin later made
5194-489: The film, awarding it three out of four and declaring it to not only be "fun", but also a "sly series of send-ups", effectively parodying many elemental film storylines. In his opinion, Gremlins did this partly through depictions of mysterious worlds (the shop in Chinatown) and tyrannical elderly women (Mrs. Deagle). Ebert also believed the rule in which a mogwai cannot eat after midnight was inspired by fairy tales , and that
5300-462: The film. Dante later claimed it was the film into which he had put the most of his personal influence. He referred to it as "one of the more unconventional studio pictures ever," imagining it as a satire of Gremlins and sequels in general, resulting in a film with several meta-references and self-referential humor . Both Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates returned to star in the film. It also features several guest stars, including Christopher Lee as
5406-414: The final scenes parody classic horror films. He connected Kate's speech about her father with "the great tradition of 1950s sick jokes". Gene Siskel gave the film three-and-a-half out of four, describing it as "a wickedly funny and slightly sick ride", and "a most original work. We're aware at every moment that someone is trying to entertain us. Playfulness abounds." Vincent Canby of The New York Times
SECTION 50
#17328585576965512-441: The gremlin. Spielberg overruled this plot element as he felt Gizmo was cute and that audiences would want him to be present throughout the film. The film mentions an urban legend in which Kate reveals in a speech that her father died at Christmas when he dressed as Santa Claus and broke his neck while climbing down the family's chimney. After the film was completed, studio executives insisted upon its removal, because they felt it
5618-433: The gremlins to Las Vegas or even into outer space . After those ideas fell through, the studio returned to Dante, who agreed to make the sequel after receiving the rare promise of having complete creative control over the movie as well as a budget tripling that of the original film. Since Chris Columbus was not available to write the sequel's script at the time, Dante brought on screenwriter Charles S. Haas to help plot
5724-440: The gremlins. They were designed by Chris Walas . There was more than one Gizmo puppet, and occasionally Galligan, when carrying one, would set him down off camera, and when Gizmo appeared again sitting on a surface it was actually a different puppet wired to the surface. These puppets had many limitations. The Gizmo puppets were particularly frustrating because they were smaller and thus broke down more. While Walas recommended making
5830-440: The ideal Christmas setting. In 2002, another critic wrote that in hindsight, Gremlins has "corny special effects" and that the film will tend to appeal to children more so than to adults; he also said the acting was dull. Despite the initial mixed criticism, Gremlins has continued to receive praise over the years and is considered by many critics to be one of the best films of 1984. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes ,
5936-461: The latter of which became a popular high demand toy during the holiday season of 1984. Both Gizmo and the gremlins were mass-produced as action figures , and Topps printed trading cards based upon the film. An interactive Gizmo Furby Friends toy was released in 1999. A product placement deal with fast food chain Hardee's also led to a series of five book-and-cassette/45 records adaptations of
6042-468: The local grindhouses where I caught up with old movies from the '30s on, most of which I could never have seen elsewhere. When it came time to try actual movie directing, I found I had a wellspring of images and ideas in my head to draw on. —Joe Dante After a stint as a film reviewer, Dante began his filmmaking apprenticeship in 1974 when producer Roger Corman offered him a job in the trailer-cutting department at New World Pictures , where he edited
6148-415: The local bank, but fears that his dog Barney will be put down by widowed miser Mrs. Deagle. His father returns and gives him the mogwai , now named “Gizmo", as a pet, as well as explaining the three rules. Gizmo is friendly and docile, but when Billy's friend, Pete Fountaine, accidentally spills water on Gizmo, five more mogwai spawn from him, a more mischievous sort led by the aggressive Stripe, named after
6254-514: The movies that inspired them. In 2020, it was announced that Dante would be returning to the world of Gremlins serving as a consultant on the HBO Max prequel series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai . In 2024, it was announced that Dante would direct Little Shop of Halloween Horrors , a reboot of Roger Corman 's The Little Shop of Horrors , to be produced by Corman alongside Brad Krevoy , CEO of
6360-555: The neighborhood, but it seemed to violate the spirit of the piece," Dante said, "It's almost the kind of thing that could be a stage play except that you could never do on-stage what we've done in this movie." Dante was asked many times to helm a sequel to Gremlins , due to its financial success. Dante declined, because he saw that story as having a proper ending, and thus a sequel would only be meant to be profitable. The studio decided to proceed without him, approaching various directors and writers. Storylines considered included sending
6466-472: The news of the fatal helicopter accident . Chris Columbus ' original draft of Gremlins went through several rewrites before a shooting script was finalized. According to Dante, it was a gruelling shoot ("The whole thing was so exhausting") and once the design of the gremlins were finalized, the studio's reaction was divisive. The film follows a teenager, played by Zach Galligan , who inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes
SECTION 60
#17328585576966572-474: The offer to direct Explorers , about a group of friends who build a working spacecraft and encounter extraterrestrial life . Dante liked the script, but felt the film needed a better third act . After being denied extra time by Paramount executives, Dante and the film's writer, Eric Luke , then improvised the story whilst filming commenced. In the spring of 1985, Paramount changed the film's initial release date from late August to early July, telling Dante and
6678-467: The original poster failed to include the movie's actors on it. In 1988, Dante agreed to direct the black comedy The 'Burbs , intrigued by its premise and the blending of real-life situations with elements of the supernatural. Dante and producers Larry Brezner and Michael Finnell agreed that Tom Hanks would be the most suitable actor to portray the married Ray Peterson, a suburban homeowner who tries to introduce excitement into his life by investigating
6784-400: The other gremlins' voices were performed by Michael Winslow and Peter Cullen , while the remaining voices were done by Mandel, Welker, Bob Bergen , Fred Newman , Jim Cummings , Sonny Melendrez , Mark Dodson , Bob Holt , Michael Sheehan, and even Dante himself. The film's score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith , who won a Saturn Award for Best Music for his efforts. The main score
6890-482: The plug on the film over its budget. Later, it was put back into production, with the script rewritten under a new director who made it serious, despite the script's humorous tone. Dante ended up with an executive producer credit. In 1994, Dante directed the television film Runaway Daughters (a loose remake of the 1956 film ), that aired as part of the anthology series Rebel Highway which paid homage to 1950s " drive-in classic" B movies by revamping them "with
6996-409: The portrayal of this urban legend in the film as successful, but that meant it seemed terrible. This is indeed a scene that is thought of as being one of the film's most violent depictions; with even Roger Ebert expressing some fear in his review that the film might encourage children to try similar things with their pets. Catherine Lester casts doubt on whether any children actually did attempt this as
7102-401: The scene in which he multiplies. The new mogwai , who popped out of Gizmo's body as small, furry balls which then started to grow, were balloons and expanded as such. Walas had also created the exploding gremlin in the microwave by means of a balloon that was allowed to burst. Howie Mandel provided the voice for Gizmo, and prolific voice actor Frank Welker provided the voice for Stripe. It
7208-590: The script of Innerspace written by Chip Proser, who called it "a rip off of Fantastic Voyage ". Dante initially turned the film down until the script was later rewritten as a comedy by Jeffrey Boam . Dante said he had a "wonderful experience" making Innerspace , mainly because of the cast which included actors Dennis Quaid , Martin Short , and Meg Ryan among others. However, after one particular day of filming, Dante recalled that studio executives from Warner Brothers had invited him out to lunch and told him that what he
7314-426: The script with the same self-aware, satirical tone that he gave Piranha , and his finished script bears only a slight resemblance to Brandner's novel. Dante said that at the time he made The Howling , werewolves were considered by many to be "corny and old hat". His approach was to disguise it as long as possible and make it look like a slasher film — which was a lot more popular at the time — "and then bring in
7420-507: The situation, and they too fall victim to the gremlins. Billy rescues his girlfriend, Kate Beringer, and they hide in the bank where Kate reveals to Billy and Gizmo that when she was nine years old, her father went missing on Christmas Eve and did not come home on Christmas Day either; several days later, he was found dead in their chimney while dressed as Santa Claus . Planning to surprise her and her mother, he had accidentally slipped and broken his neck, killing him instantly, while climbing down
7526-493: The special effects more convincing. An earlier attempt to use monkeys to interpret the gremlins was abandoned because the test monkey panicked when made to wear a gremlin head. Puppets and marionettes were used instead, so the actors worked alongside them in most scenes. Nevertheless, after the actors finished their work for good, a great deal of effort was spent finishing the effects. Numerous small rubber puppets, some of which were mechanical, were used to portray Gizmo and
7632-414: The special effects, Bottin was Dante's first choice; but he was busy working on Legend (1985). Other effects required large mogwai faces and ears to be produced for close-ups, as the puppets were less capable of conveying emotion. Consequently, large props simulating food were needed for the close-ups in the scene in which the mogwai feast after midnight. An enlarged Gizmo puppet was also needed for
7738-425: The stairs when Billy arrives. Dante later explained the scene made the film darker than the filmmakers wanted. There was also a scene where the gremlins ate Billy's dog and a scene where the gremlins attacked a McDonald's , eating customers instead of burgers. Also, instead of Stripe being a mogwai who becomes a gremlin, there was originally no mogwai named Stripe; rather, Gizmo was supposed to transform into Stripe
7844-780: The street. As morning approaches, they follow Stripe into the department store, where he attempts to use a fountain to spawn more gremlins. Gizmo opens a nearby skylight , exposing Stripe to sunlight and killing him via disintegration. As the local news reports on the day's mysterious tragedies, Mr. Wing reclaims Gizmo at the Peltzer home. He scolds the family for their negligence and criticizes Western society for its carelessness with nature. However, as he turns to leave, Gizmo, having bonded with Billy, bids him goodbye. A touched Wing then concedes that Billy may be ready one day and, until then, Gizmo will be waiting. The film features various cameos from crew members or guests. Steven Spielberg cameos as
7950-595: The supernatural elements slowly so that the audience could get acclimated and not immediately reject it as something old-fashioned." The film's special effects, which at the time were considered state-of-the-art, were completed by Rob Bottin after Rick Baker left to work on An American Werewolf in London . Dante had been previously offered the chance to direct Airplane! by Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker . Although he turned it down, Dante agreed to direct two episodes of their police procedural spoof Police Squad! , which
8056-462: The supporting actors and actresses were better known. Veteran actor Glynn Turman portrayed the high school science teacher whose study of a newborn mogwai leads to his death after it forms a cocoon and emerges as a vicious gremlin. Dick Miller , who was a regular in Dante's films, was another experienced actor on the set, playing a World War II veteran who first refers to the creatures as gremlins. Rand
8162-571: The time between The Howling and the offer to film Gremlins , he had experienced a lull in his career. Dante began doing storyboard work on the film while also working as a director on Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), a film on which Spielberg also served as a director. The film's producer was Michael Finnell , who had also worked on The Howling with Dante. Spielberg took the project to Warner Bros. and co-produced it through his own company, Amblin Entertainment . Designer Chris Walas spoke on
8268-465: The trailers for such films as Cover Girl Models and Amarcord . Other established directors such as Francis Ford Coppola , Martin Scorsese and Peter Bogdanovich had already emerged from Corman's de-facto film school . In 1975, Dante moved up to directing when he collaborated with fellow Corman school alumni Allan Arkush to make the satirical exploitation film Hollywood Boulevard . The film
8374-508: The voice of Gizmo, the main mogwai character. It draws on legends of folkloric mischievous creatures that cause malfunctions—" gremlins "—in the British Royal Air Force going back to World War II . The story follows young man Billy Peltzer, who receives a strange creature as a pet, which then spawns other creatures that transform into aggressive imp-like monsters that wreak havoc on Billy's town during Christmas Eve . The film
8480-519: The website. Dante returned to feature films several years later in 2009 with the independent 3D horror comedy The Hole , which received the Premio Persol award at the Venice Film Festival . Dante cited Dial M for Murder , Kill, Baby, Kill , The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Killer Klowns from Outer Space as influences on the film. With Roger Corman producing, Dante directed
8586-474: The white mohawk -like tuft of fur on his head. Billy shows one of the mogwai to his former elementary school science teacher, Mr. Hanson, spawning another mogwai , whom Hanson experiments on. Back at home, Stripe and his fellow mogwai trick Billy into feeding them after midnight by severing the power cord on his alarm clock. They form cocoons , as does Hanson's mogwai , which soon hatch, emerging as destructive monsters called "gremlins" that torture Gizmo (who
8692-409: The years, but continued by saying "the problem is for me is that the movie you'll see is not the movie I wanted to make. It's the movie I got to make up to a certain point and then had to stop. It's hard for me to look at it, cause it's not the film I quite had in mind." The missing and cut scenes are presumably lost, as Dante tried searching for them in recent years. In the mid-1980s, Dante was offered
8798-419: Was "quite different than the film that eventually emerged." The film opened in early 1993 and received positive reviews, but failed to turn a profit. From 1993 to 1994, Dante was attached as the director of The Phantom , developing a draft of the script together with Jeffrey Boam , which was originally tongue-in-cheek in tone. According to Dante, right when the film was to begin shooting, Paramount pulled
8904-431: Was Welker who suggested Mandel perform in Gremlins . The puppets' lines were mostly invented by the voice actors, based on cues from the physical actions of the puppets, which were filmed before the voice work. When developing the voice for Gizmo, Mandel explained, "[Gizmo was] cute and naive, so, you know, I got in touch with that... I couldn't envision going any other way or do something different with it". The majority of
9010-440: Was a success. Produced on an $ 11 million budget, it was more expensive than Spielberg had originally intended but still relatively cheap for its time. The trailer introduced the film to audiences by briefly explaining that Billy receives a strange creature as a Christmas present, by going over the three rules, and then coming out with the fact that the creatures transform into terrible monsters. This trailer showed little of either
9116-479: Was accompanied by a large merchandising campaign and juxtaposes black comedy with a Christmastime setting . Steven Spielberg was the film's executive producer , with the film being produced by Michael Finnell . Gremlins was theatrically released on June 8, 1984 by Warner Bros. to critical and commercial success. However, it was heavily criticized for some of its more violent sequences. In response to this and to similar complaints about Indiana Jones and
9222-499: Was again released on home video in 4K Ultra HD on October 1, 2019. The film grossed $ 15.2 million in home sales on DVD and Blu-Ray. With its commercial themes, particularly the cuteness of the character Gizmo, Gremlins became the center of considerable merchandising. Due to this, it became part of a rising trend in film, which had received a boost from Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . Manufacturers including LJN produced versions of Gizmo as dolls or stuffed animals ,
9328-506: Was brought back to theaters on August 30, 1985. This additional release brought its gross up to $ 153,083,102, making it Warner Bros. ’ most successful film at the time, a record that stood until Batman surpassed it in 1989. By February 1985, the film had grossed $ 59.6 million internationally, including $ 17 million in Japan. It grossed a further $ 0.2 million in 2019, taking its worldwide gross to over $ 212.9 million. Roger Ebert approved of
9434-459: Was cast as Kate, Billy's girlfriend, despite concerns that she was known for playing more risqué parts, such as Linda Barrett in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). Spielberg urged the casting of the relatively unknown Zach Galligan as Billy because he saw chemistry between Galligan and Cates during auditions. Galligan later compared himself to Billy, saying he was a "geeky kid", and that being in
9540-402: Was composed with the objective of conveying "the mischievous humor and mounting suspense of Gremlins". Goldsmith also wrote Gizmo's song, which was hummed by Ilene Keys, a child actress and acquaintance of Goldsmith, rather than Mandel himself. Goldsmith also appears in the film, alongside Steven Spielberg, in the scene where Rand calls home from the salesman's convention. The soundtrack album
9646-458: Was conceived by Chris Columbus . As Columbus explained, his inspiration came from his loft, when at night "what sounded like a platoon of mice would come out and to hear them skittering around in the blackness was really creepy". He then wrote the original screenplay as a spec script to show potential employers that he had writing abilities. The story was not actually intended to be filmed until Steven Spielberg took an interest in turning it into
9752-505: Was conceived when Corman made a bet that he could produce a movie within ten days on a budget of only $ 54,000 (equivalent to $ 305,766 in 2023). Although producer John Davison reported the budget was approximately $ 50,000, it was the cheapest made by New World Pictures. The filmmakers achieved this by coming up with a story about a B movie studio which could incorporate footage from other movies that Corman owned. Two years later, Dante directed Piranha , written by John Sayles . The film
9858-492: Was developed several other times before eventually being offered to Dante. He agreed to direct the film to pay tribute to his idol Chuck Jones , and as somewhat of a placeholder for his unmade biographical comedy Termite Terrace . He and screenwriter Larry Doyle reportedly wanted the film to be the "anti- Space Jam " as Dante disliked how that film represented the Looney Tunes brand and personalities. While feeling that he and
9964-421: Was doing was not funny and described Short as being "not very attractive", wanting to recast the role. While this conversation left him with a lot of anxiety, Dante decided to "plow on" and just make the movie he always intended to make. Despite successful test screenings, the film ended up flopping at the box office in the summer of 1987. Dante said this was because the studio did not know how to promote it and that
10070-468: Was first conceived during the 1920s when mechanical failures in RAF aircraft were jokingly blamed on the small monsters. The term "gremlins" also entered popular culture as children's author and RAF pilot Roald Dahl published a book called The Gremlins in 1943, based on the mischievous creatures. Walt Disney considered making a film of it. A Bugs Bunny cartoon of the era, Falling Hare , has him battling
10176-422: Was his first experience shooting something on a studio lot. It's the movie I'm going to be remembered for. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, the headline is going to be " Gremlins Director Hit By Bus". I'll never do something that'll outlast that in terms of the public image of who I am – which is fine with me. It's not my favorite movie that I've ever made, but I'm perfectly happy with it and I think it does what it
10282-674: Was mixed, writing that the film "is far more interested in showing off its knowledge of movie lore and making random jokes than in providing consistent entertainment. Unfortunately, it's funniest when being most nasty." Variety declared, "Make room for adorable 'Gremlins' dolls on the shelves and start counting the take for another calculated audience pleaser from the Steven Spielberg-Frank Marshall-Kathleen Kennedy team. But that's all that's here in this showy display of technical talent, otherwise nearly heedless of dramatic concerns." Leonard Maltin disapproved of
10388-465: Was more interested in drawing cartoons and frequenting Saturday matinees at the cinema . Dante was 12 when Famous Monsters of Filmland , a magazine dedicated to horror films, came onto news shelves. He soon wrote to the magazine with reviews of certain horror films, which he did for a number of years. Dante had originally planned on becoming a cartoonist, but was told that it wasn't a real art form and that he should try something else. While attending
10494-478: Was played by Hoyt Axton , who was always the filmmakers' preferred choice for the role even though it was widely contested by other actors. Axton's experience included acting as the father in The Black Stallion (1979), and he was also a country music singer-songwriter. After an introductory scene to Gremlins was cut, Axton's voice earned him the added role of the narrator to establish some context. Mr. Wing
10600-459: Was played by Keye Luke , a renowned film actor, whose film career spanned half a century. Although in reality he was around 80 at the time of filming, and his character was very elderly, Luke's youthful appearance had to be covered by make-up. Corey Feldman , who up to that time had primarily been in commercials, played Pete Fountaine, establishing his early credentials as a child actor; he previously met with Spielberg when he auditioned for E.T.
10706-465: Was produced at a time when combining horror and comedy was becoming increasingly popular. According to Professor Noël Carroll , Ghostbusters , released the same weekend as Gremlins , and the comic strip The Far Side also followed this trend. Carroll argued that there was now a new genre emphasizing sudden shifts between humorous and horrific scenes, drawing laughs with plot elements that have been traditionally used to scare. The notion of gremlins
10812-503: Was released by Geffen Records as a specially priced 7 cut mini-album on LP and cassette (Goldsmith's music comprised all of side two) and reissued on compact disc in 1993 only in Germany. "Gremlins...Mega Madness" was also released as a single, with "The Gremlin Rag" as its B-side (The USA release has Late For Work). In 2011, Film Score Monthly issued a two-disc release of the soundtrack, with
10918-473: Was released on DVD in 1997 in a bare bones presentation. It included both full screen and widescreen versions and the film's trailer. It was repackaged in August, 1999 with the same disc, but a different cover. On August 20, 2002, a " special edition " DVD was released, which featured cast and filmmakers' commentary and deleted scenes . A 25th anniversary Blu-ray edition was released on December 1, 2009. The film
11024-488: Was shot in Texas "in a rush" on a budget of $ 600,000, and was considered quite ambitious for the time and cost. Dante, who was convinced the film would be a disaster, spent a month in the editing room. People came to visit him, but as Dante recalled he was in "such a fog" that he didn't even recognize who they were at first. The film won the attention of Steven Spielberg who, unbeknownst to Dante, prevented Universal from blocking
11130-450: Was supposed to do. It's strange that it's outlasted so many other pictures that were much more prestigious at the time. It expresses my personality too, which is the one thing that's the most difficult to get across in an expensive film. —Joe Dante Due to their work on The Howling , Dante and producer Michael Finnell received the opportunity to make the film Gremlins by Steven Spielberg . Spielberg also brought Dante on as one of
11236-480: Was too ambiguous as to whether it was supposed to be funny or sad. Dante refused to take the scene out, saying it represented the film as a whole, which had a combination of horrific and comedic elements. Spielberg did not like the scene but, despite his creative control, he viewed Gremlins as Dante's project and allowed him to leave it in. A parody of this scene is featured in Gremlins 2: The New Batch . Phoebe Cates
#695304