Gremlins (1984)
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83% of critics liked it
(53 reviews) -
70% of users liked it
(418,685 ratings)
"Don't expose him to bright light. Don't ever get him wet. And don't ever, ever feed him after midnight." This sage advice is ignored midway through Gremlins, with devastating results. This comic Joe Dante effort is set in a Norman Rockwell-esque small town at Christmastime.… More "Don't expose him to bright light. Don't ever get him wet. And don't ever, ever feed him after midnight." This sage advice is ignored midway through Gremlins, with devastating results. This comic Joe Dante effort is set in a Norman Rockwell-esque small town at Christmastime. Seeking a unique gift for his son an erstwhile inventor (Hoyt Axton) purchases a cute, fuzzy little "Mogwai" from a Chinatown shopkeeper's (Keye Luke) grandson (John Louie), who dispenses the above-mentioned warning before closing the deal. Meanwhile, young bank clerk Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) must suffer such antagonists as rich-bitch Mrs. Deagle (Polly Holliday) and priggish Gerald (Judge Reinhold) while pursuing his romance with Kate (Phoebe Cates). These and a variety of other plot strands are tied together when the lovable mogwai (named Gizmo) is exposed to bright light and gotten wet. In short order, the town is invaded by nasty, predatory Gremlins, who lay waste to everything in sight as Billy and Kate try to contain the destruction. Like most of Joe Dante's works, Gremlins is chock-full of significant cameo appearances: in this instance, such pop-culture icons as Dick Miller, Jackie Joseph, Chuck Jones, Scott Brady, Harry Carey Jr., Steven Spielberg (the film's executive producer) and even Robby the Robot all show up briefly on screen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Joe Dante
- Written By
- Chris Columbus
- Genres
- Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jun 1, 1984 Wide
- On DVD
- Jun 22, 1999
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
The humans are little more than dress-extras for the mechanics.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
What's confusing yet ultimately illuminating is the way his gremlins function as a free-floating metaphor, suggesting at separate junctures everything from teenagers to blacks to various Freudian suppressions.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Dante is perhaps the first filmmaker since Frank Tashlin to base his style on the formal free-for-all of animated cartoons; he is also utterly heartless.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Dante gleefully sinks his teeth into the kind of fluffy, sugary, sickly small town fantasy beloved of his pal and sometime producer Spielberg.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
At the level of Serious Film Criticism, it's a meditation on the myths in our movies: Christmas, families, monsters, retail stores, movies, boogeymen. At the level of Pop Moviegoing, it's a sophisticated, witty B movie.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Zach Galligan
as Billy
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Hoyt Axton
as Rand Peltzer
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Frances Lee McCain
as Lynn Peltzer
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Phoebe Cates
as Kate
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Polly Holliday
as Mrs. Deagle
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Scott Brady
as Sheriff
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Glynn E. Turman
as Hanson
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Corey Feldman
as Pete
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Keye Luke
as Grandfather
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Judge Reinhold
as Gerald
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Jonathan Banks
as Dep. Brent
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Edward Andrews
as Corben
- Susan Arnold
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Belinda Balaski
as Mrs. Harris
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John C. Becher
as Dr. Molinaro
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Joe Brooks
as Santa
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Harry Carey Jr.
as Mr. Anderson
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Mark Dodson
as Special Vocal Effects
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Donald Elson
as Man on Street
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Lois Foraker
as Bank Teller
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Bob Holt
as Special Vocal Effects
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Jackie Joseph
as Mrs. Futterman
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Nicky Katt
as School Children
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John Louie
as Chinese Boy
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James MacKrell
as Lew Landers
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Howie Mandel
as Gizmo
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Dick Miller
as Mr. Futterman
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Love Mushroom Psychedelic Visual Arts
as Barney
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Michael Sheehan
as Special Vocal Effects
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Don Steele
as Rockin' Ricky Rialto
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Michael Winslow
as Special Vocal Effects
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Chuck Jones
as Mr. Jones
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Steven Spielberg
as Man in Electric Wheelchair (uncredited)
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Frank Welker
as Special Vocal Effects
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Peter Cullen
as Special Vocal Effects
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Kenny Davis
as Dorry
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Fred Newman
as Special Vocal Effects
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Arnie Moore
as Pete's Father
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Jim McKrell
as Lew Landers







