This week we are taking a time machine back to 1984 and discussing one of the wildest holiday creature features ever made: Joe Dante’s Gremlins — starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, and the half-Yoda, half-Ewok Gizmo. What starts as the world’s cutest Christmas gift quickly mutates into a full-blown small-town monster meltdown because people just cannot follow the rules no matter how many damn times you tell them! Does this film of tiny terrors still deliver holiday cheer… or are the logical leaps and physics failures too much to keep this film from crashing and burning? Mogwai don't you stick around to find out…

#Gremlins #Gremlins1984 #Gizmo #Stripe #JoeDante #ChrisColumbus #PhoebeCates #ZachGalligan #80sMovies #HorrorComedy #CreatureFeature #ChristmasMovies #80sClassics #MovieReview #FlickFlopsPodcast

Release Details

• Title: Gremlins
• Year: 1984
• Director: Joe Dante
• Writer(s): Chris Columbus

Top Billed Stars:

• Zach Galligan
• Phoebe Cates
• Hoyt Axton
• Polly Holliday
• Frances Lee McCain
• Keye Luke
• Howie Mandel (voice of Gizmo)

Running Time: 106 minutes

Country of Origin: United States

Official Release Date(s): June 8, 1984 (U.S.)

Background & Interesting Details

• The film was executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, whose influence shaped its mix of horror and heart.

• Chris Columbus wrote the script while living in a Manhattan loft plagued by actual mice—his “creature in the night” anxiety grew into Gremlins.

• Gizmo was originally supposed to become Stripe, but Spielberg insisted Gizmo stay good to give the movie a sympathetic hero.

• The film helped launch the PG-13 rating, along with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, due to its surprisingly gruesome (and hilarious) moments.

• Joe Dante leaned into Looney Tunes-style slapstick—Warner Bros. even opens the film with a vintage Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck bit.

• Many Gremlins were complex animatronics costing up to $40,000 each. Crew members had to check for stolen puppets at the end of each day.

• Phoebe Cates’ infamous monologue about her dad getting stuck in the chimney was controversial—even Spielberg debated cutting it—but it became one of the film’s signature dark-comedy moments.

• The movie was shot entirely on the Universal backlot; Kingston Falls uses the same town square as Back to the Future.

• Gizmo’s vocals were provided by Howie Mandel, while Frank Welker voiced Stripe.

• The film was a massive hit, earning over $200 million worldwide and becoming a holiday cult classic with a mischievous twist.

Other Projects (Director/Writer/Main Leads)

Joe Dante (Director):

• The Howling (1981)
• Explorers (1985)
• Innerspace (1987)
• The ’Burbs (1989)
• Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Chris Columbus (Writer):

• The Goonies (1985)
• Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
• Home Alone (1990)
• Home Alone 2 (1992)
• Later directed Mrs. Doubtfire and Harry Potter 1 & 2

Zach Galligan:

• Gremlins 2: The New Batch
• Waxwork (1988)
• Waxwork II (1992)

Phoebe Cates:

• Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
• Drop Dead Fred (1991)
• Bright Lights, Big City (1988)

Hoyt Axton:

• Musician and songwriter (“Joy to the World,” “Never Been to Spain”)
• Appeared in The Black Stallion and Disorganized Crime

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