Gremlins Retrospective Article by: Greg Roberts Support KR and share this article with your friends! Share View Reader Comments 1984 - The Apple MacIntosh computer is introduced. The Space Shuttle Discovery makes its maiden voyage. British and International recording artists ban together for Band Aid. Crack, a smokeable form of cocaine is introduced into the Los Angeles area. And a film by the name of Gremlins took the country by storm. Gremlins began as an idea of writer Chris Columbus – the same Chris Columbus that would go on to direct Home Alone and two of the Harry Potter films. The script was found by Steven Spielberg who immediately fell in love with the story and purchased the screenplay under his newly formed Amblin Entertainment production company. Shopping it as a producer to Warner Bros. studio, Spielberg began scouting for potential directors to helm the story of cute furry creatures that spawn evil imps if three simple rules are broken (Don’t feed them after midnight. Don’t get them wet. And don’t expose them to bright light). Spielberg originally considered Tim Burton for the director’s chair, but later opted against him due to his lack of experience. Spielberg would eventually give directorial duties to Joe Dante who had directed the werewolf film The Howling in 1981 to which Spielberg has admitted to being a fan. With a director on board, the focus shifted back to the screenplay that would go through multiple re-writes before the final shooting script was approved. In the original script, the Gremlins were more sinister (in one scene the family dog was killed and in another, the mother’s head was cut off and tossed down the stairs), but Dante, Spielberg and Warner Bros. all wanted a softer more family oriented movie, so the rough edges of the Gremlin’s characters were trimmed to fit the genre. With a more family oriented script nailed down, it was time to begin casting. Phoebe Cates was one of the first cast as Kate Beringer. Phoebe was known for more risqué type roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Private School, but Spielberg liked her audition and her chemistry with Zach Galligan who was cast as Billy Peltzer (Both Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez were early considerations for the role of Billy). Dick Miller, Glynn Turman, Judge Reinhold (also from Fast Times at Ridgemont High) and Corey Feldman (pre-Goonies) were also cast in support of the two leads. To provide the voice of the cute Mogwai creature named Gizmo, the producers turned to impressionist Howie Mandel (Deal or No Deal). The voices for the other Gremlins were all supplied by Michael Winslow (Police Academy). With casting and scripting complete, Gremlins went into production in late 1983 at the Universal Studio’s back lot in California – the same lot that would be used for 1984’s Back to the Future (in fact, the theatre that blows up in Gremlins is the same theatre that Marty McFly smashes into at the end of Back to the Future). Because of the intricacies of the script changes and the expected maneuverability of the Gremlin and Mogwai creatures, technical delays were constant and stories began to circulate about the cast falling asleep on set while awaiting for the Gremlin puppets to work appropriately. Still, Gremlins finished on time and within budget. The final product was produced for a total of $11,000,000 (more than the budget for Steven Spielberg’s E.T.), but still relatively cheap for its time. Gremlins was then released on June 8, 1984 (the same day as Ivan Reitman’s GhostBusters) after the studio discovered they had no major release in the summer to combat heavy weights such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In its first week-end, Gremlins grossed over $12 million dollars (only $1.1 million less than GhostBusters) and went on to gross over $150 million in domestic box office receipts. The story of a boy (Billy) who breaks the three rules concerning his new pet that unleashes a horde of mischievous monsters in a small town was an instant success and is now considered an 80’s classic. However, the toned down violence of the script still didn’t sit well with the ratings board and Gremlins was credited (along with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) to have been the source for the creation of the PG-13 rating system by the MPAA. With such a return on their investment, a sequel was inevitable. But it took nearly 6 years before Dante, Cates and Galligan would reprise their roles in the sillier (but potentially better) Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Director Joe Dante would never again see the successes he did with Gremlins. In the years following he helmed Explorers and Innerspace and collaborated again with Steven Spielberg in the tragic segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie that resulted in the loss of actor Victor Morrow. Writer Chris Columbus continued to churn out screenplays and his scripts for The Goonies and Young Sherlock Holmes were both picked up and made into feature films. In 1987, Columbus tried directing with Adventures in Babysitting before supplanting himself as a credible director with the box office hit Home Alone in 1990. Phoebe Cates showed up in a few films such as Bright Lights, Big City (1988) before heading back to Gremlins 2: The New Batch in 1990. She married actor Kevin Kline in 1989 and has only done a few acting jobs since. Zach Galligan worked in films such as 1988’s Waxwork and Warlock: The Armageddon (1993), but he too would never find the success and fame that Gremlins brought to his resume. Gremlins is thought of fondly by both those that grew up with 80’s films and by the new younger crowd that can still enjoy the horror and slapstick of the Gremlins and their mischievous actions. It has become somewhat of a Christmas classic in many households and has enough hidden jokes and references (Indiana Jones, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Howling eg.) that you can pick up something new each screening. A Gremlins 3 has long been rumored in the Hollywood trades, but nothing in the immediate future is imminent. Until then, we have this classic to remind us of how good movies used to be.