--- title: "Gremlins" year: 1984 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/gremlins" fi1m_id: "gremlins" imdb_id: "tt0087363" tmdb_id: 927 wikidata_id: "Q241958" fi1m_score: 80 critics_score: 68 critics_reviews: 9 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:07.539523+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Gremlins (1984) Directed by Joe Dante · 1h 46m · MPA PG · Fantasy, Horror, Comedy ## Identity Gremlins - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/gremlins - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** gremlins - **IMDb ID:** tt0087363 - **TMDB ID:** 927 - **Wikidata ID:** Q241958 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087363/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/927, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q241958 **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 68 from 9 reviews *In a sentence:* A Christmas present with a persuasive case for keeping the receipt > Joe Dante’s *Gremlins* is a funny, nasty Christmas horror comedy whose creatures deserve most of the attention they steal. The humans can seem underwritten, but the film’s delight in bad behaviour is difficult to resist. ## Synopsis A mysterious creature bought as a Christmas present brings trouble to a small American town. There are rules to follow, and when they are broken, the gift produces gremlins whose behaviour has little to do with seasonal goodwill. As the town’s celebrations give way to creature attacks, the humans have to contend with what has been unleashed. Zach Galligan plays Billy Peltzer and Phoebe Cates plays Kate Beringer, with Hoyt Axton as Randall Peltzer and Frances Lee McCain as Lynn Peltzer. Joe Dante directs this mixture of fantasy, horror and comedy. ## Review *Gremlins* is funny, nasty and worth an evening for the pleasure Joe Dante takes in spoiling a wholesome Christmas. A mysterious creature is bought as a present, rules are broken and a small American town finds itself under attack from gremlins. Chris Columbus’s script makes the trouble feel avoidable by giving the gift conditions that require careful attention. For a while, we want the creature and understand the temptation. The early sweetness does useful work in preparing us for the nastiness. Production designer James H. Spencer gives the mayhem a reassuring small-town setting, and the Christmas cheer is persuasive enough to make its disruption feel rude. John Hora’s cinematography helps establish that warmth without making the creatures look as though they belong in a different film. Their cuteness and their ugliness both survive being available for inspection. The effects work because the creatures are worth watching even before they do anything. Dante allows them more personality than several of the people around them. Zach Galligan’s Billy Peltzer gives us a mild, approachable human centre, which is useful when the film starts testing our loyalties. Galligan does not compete with the creatures for attention, though the writing could have given him more to work with. Phoebe Cates, as Kate Beringer, makes a stronger impression when the film allows her to disturb its seasonal cheer. Her Christmas speech is a difficult change of mood, and she makes it count. We laughed at the creatures’ attack on the town, then felt slightly ashamed of ourselves. Dante gives their destructiveness such energy that we briefly forget to worry about the people in their way. The creatures are funny because they appear to enjoy themselves without any interest in being forgiven. The violence has enough bite to make the laughter awkward, and Dante does not soften every unpleasant moment with a reassuring joke. Tina Hirsch’s editing is especially useful in keeping the comic interruptions from stopping the threat altogether. There is room to register the creatures’ misbehaviour before the next burst of trouble, so the jokes remain legible. Jerry Goldsmith’s music gives that trouble a jaunty momentum, encouraging us to enjoy what we ought to deplore. The combination becomes less effective when the mayhem begins repeating itself. Once the rules have done their work, the script relies too often on another creature attack. The other limitation is that Columbus gives the human story too little force once the creatures take charge. We need not like everybody in a horror comedy, but somebody’s predicament should matter beyond providing the next opportunity for a joke. Here, the human scenes can feel like waiting for the creatures to return. The film is better whenever a performer’s reaction gets as much attention as the effects, as Cates demonstrates when she has the opportunity. As a horror comedy, though, *Gremlins* gets something important right: the monsters are entertaining enough to make us uneasy about enjoying them. Its treatment of Christmas gives the destruction a particular target, and the joke lasts beyond the initial shock of seeing seasonal cheer treated so badly. At 106 minutes, it accommodates a few indulgences without exhausting the pleasure of its creatures. See it for them, but take the 15 certificate seriously. *Fi1m score 80, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics respond warmly to Gremlins, praising Joe Dante’s collision of small-town Christmas cheer with unruly black comedy. The praise centres on the creature effects, the jokes at the expense of familiar film conventions, and the willingness to disrupt a comforting picture of American life. For the more enthusiastic reviewers, the mixture of adorable creatures and spiteful humour is precisely what makes the film work, with its mischief giving the seasonal setting an unusual bite. The reservations concern how reliably that mixture holds together: several reviews find the mayhem predictable, the humour uneven or the human characters underdeveloped. Others question the emotional impact and the aggression towards a young audience. The spread is wide, though none of the reviews is wholly negative: Digital Spy celebrates the sadistic comedy and consumer-culture satire, while Variety finds that the effects leave the humans with little to do. ## Straight answers **Is Gremlins worth watching?** *Gremlins* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a horror comedy that takes pleasure in spoiling Christmas, and we scored it 80. The creatures are funny, nasty and worth watching before they do anything, and Phoebe Cates makes the film's darkest change of mood count. The human story loses force once the mayhem starts repeating itself. **How long is Gremlins, and what is it rated?** *Gremlins* runs 1h 46m and is rated PG by the MPA in the US. It is a fantasy and horror film. **Where can I watch Gremlins in the US?** *Gremlins* is streaming on HBO Max, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $5.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Gremlins, and is it suitable for children?** *Gremlins* carries a UK 15 certificate, and we think that is right: the violence has enough bite to make the laughter awkward, and Joe Dante does not soften every unpleasant moment with a joke. The creatures are cute and ugly by turns, and their attack on the town is destructive rather than cosy. It is not a film for young children, whatever its Christmas setting suggests. **How does Gremlins compare to Attack the Block?** *Gremlins* and [*Attack the Block*](https://film.one/film/attack-the-block) are both creature sieges with sharp comic timing, but Joe Cornish's film gives us people worth worrying about, where Joe Dante's gives most of its personality to the monsters. *Attack the Block* is the better choice if you want a human story with weight; *Gremlins* is the funnier and nastier film, and the more pleasurable for its creatures alone. **What should I watch after Gremlins?** After *Gremlins*, try [*Attack the Block*](https://film.one/film/attack-the-block) (2011, Fi1m 84): A creature siege with sharp comic timing and youngsters worth worrying about. Then [*Tremors*](https://film.one/film/tremors) (1990, Fi1m 82): Small-town creature trouble, practical ingenuity and human company worth keeping through the siege. ### Reviews we read (9) - **Radio Times**, John Ferguson (4/5): This anarchic black comedy remains one of Hollywood's darkest mainstream hits, gleefully undermining feel-good depictions of small-town America through in-jokes, cameos and Phoebe Cates's memorable Christmas speech. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-adwoo9/gremlins/) - **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (4/5): The film skillfully walks the line between wholesome Christmas cheer and subversive mayhem, with Dante leaving audiences unsure whose side to take in the gremlins' chaotic assault on small-town America. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/gremlins) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (75/100, inferred): The film pits a wholesome small-town Christmas against mischievous, monstrous creatures in a witty B-movie style. Ebert praises the clever send-ups of movie clichés and the first half's cute gremlins but notes the second half turns nastier. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gremlins-1984) - **The New Yorker**, Pauline Kael (55/100, inferred): Dante delivers an unholy mix of whimsical pop shocker and movie references but struggles to cohere the ideas into something with emotional impact. Kael highlights inventive sequences like the theater rampage and kitchen battle while noting the overall affectless tone. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1984/06/25/the-pop-junkpile) - **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (50/100, inferred): The creatures are the real stars, with the mogwai's unstable nature driving the plot in a mix of Capra-esque whimsy and grotesque horror. Canby finds the humor unreliable and the violence overly aggressive toward a young audience. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/08/movies/screen-gremlins-kiddie-gore.html) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (45/100, inferred): The story follows a mysterious creature bought as a Christmas gift that spawns evil, killer gremlins after rules are broken. The review notes the initial preciousness gives way to predictable mayhem with humans serving mainly as extras for the effects. [Read](https://variety.com/1983/film/reviews/gremlins-1200426079/) - **Digital Spy**, Ben Rawson-Jones (5/5): The review hails the film as a fiendishly funny classic and enduring mainstream masterpiece, commending its sadistic humour, dazzling effects, critique of consumer culture, and memorable subversion of Christmas movie tropes. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a443304/gremlins-review-fiendishly-funny-classic-re-released-for-christmas/) - **Den of Geek**, Simon Brew (4/5): The critic calls Gremlins a delight and a terrific film under Joe Dante's direction, praising its blend of dark comedy and adorable elements along with superb creature effects and memorable moments like the Snow White screening. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/gremlins-blu-ray-review/) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (60/100, inferred): The film succeeds by tapping into children's desire for cheerful mischief and irreverent violence. Its appeal to adults is limited beyond nostalgia, with a plot that becomes predictable and descends into incoherence. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/gremlins-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Details - **Director:** Joe Dante - **Director:** Joe Dante - **Writer:** Chris Columbus - **Cinematography:** John Hora - **Editor:** Tina Hirsch - **Music:** Noel Regney, Jerry Goldsmith - **Production design:** James H. Spencer - **Producer:** Michael Finnell - **Cast:** Zach Galligan as Billy Peltzer; Phoebe Cates as Kate Beringer; Hoyt Axton as Randall Peltzer; Frances Lee McCain as Lynn Peltzer; Corey Feldman as Pete Fountaine; Keye Luke as Grandfather (Mr. Wing); John Louie as Chinese Boy; Dick Miller as Murray Futterman - **Runtime:** 1h 46m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG - **Release (the US):** 8 June 1984 - **Genres:** Fantasy, Horror, Comedy - **Budget:** $11 million - **Box office:** $153 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXXZx6skXrw ## Where to watch in the US - HBO Max: streaming, uhd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $5.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, ID, IE, IN, IT, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The 'Burbs* (1989): Another suspiciously comfortable neighbourhood, with Joe Dante encouraging everybody’s least reasonable instincts. - *Attack the Block* (2011), Fi1m 84: A creature siege with sharp comic timing and youngsters worth worrying about. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/attack-the-block.md) - *House* (1977): Domestic space becomes dangerous in a Japanese horror comedy with little restraint. - *Krampus* (2015): More Christmas creatures for anyone who finds enforced family cheer faintly threatening. - *Tremors* (1990), Fi1m 82: Small-town creature trouble, practical ingenuity and human company worth keeping through the siege. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tremors.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/gremlins