Gremlins (1984) Retrospective / Review 

Get Gremlins on Blu-ray here goo.gl/K79uTT Get the soundtrack to Gremlins here goo.gl/HKephE

I was 17 and just graduated from high school when "Gremlins" premiered; and it has aged much better than me.

Gizmo turning into Stripe would have been heart breaking!

If they made a Gremlins film now it would inevitably be CGI which I feel would totally lose the charm of the originals.

Hey, don't be talkin' crap about Pheobe Cate's father-chimmney story. You see I understand the pain she went through.....it was on President's day 2007 and my father was supposed to come down the chimmeny dressed like Abraham Lincoln with a sack full of copies of the declaration of independence for me and my sisters but he never showed. We worried for weeks, not eating, having trouble concentrating on the simplest of tasks. We filed a missing persons report. The police looked for days.They didn't find anything. As the months went by my mother and I noticed a strange smell coming from the fireplace. We never thought anyting of it. Turns out it was a dead mouse and my father ran off with a hooker dressed like Martha Washington........what you think he died in the chimney?!? That only happens in movies!!! Felt really bad for the mouse though.....

Dante was right to keep Cate's speech about why she hated Christmas in the film. It's one of the top scenes that people remember, and was so absurd, that I remember it getting a laugh in theaters when we saw it.

This is one of my top 3 Christmas films; -Gremlins -Scrooged -Die Hard

I think I could listen to Oliver narrate anything, all day long. Maybe it's because I'm British and of a similar age with similar film tastes...

I don't believe I have commented on any of your videos before and I just wanted to give a big thank you for these retrospectives. Not only are they great nostalgia if you grew up in the eighties like me, but they also always make me really pumped to see the movie again. I will definitely watch gremlins tonight for the first time in at least 20 years.

8:52 We sadly lost the great Dick Miller on January 30th at age 90 😥 Godspeed, good sir 🙏 1928-2019

I love Jerry Goldsmith's score for this film. I used to play it on my walkman - yes, my walkman, when I would walk around the Universal Studios backlot, while employed there. He also did a fantastic score to another Joe Dante film, The 'Burbs, which was also filmed on the Universal backlot.

I was 8 when I snuck it out of the video shop, and I've been hooked ever since, seen it loads of times and it's one of those movies that never gets old.

It open on the same day as Ghostbusters. Talk about stiff competition.

Saw it in theaters at 5 and it became one of my favorite films as a kid.

When I was a kid I was obsessed with all the 80s movies that said “Steven Spielberg Presents”

Could you retrospect, "The Lost Boys?"

Review _Who Framed Roger Rabbit?_

I love this movie and the soundtrack. So fortunate to have been a kid to see this in theaters on its original release in the 1980's.

Until recently I thought I was the only person in the world who liked the sequel more than the original. Looking forward to your retrospective on that one.

Oliver, these reviews and retrospectives are one of the best movie related things on RU-vid, if not all media outlets. Informative, interesting, well paced, edited smoothly and consistent. They have become a regular accompaniment to my working day. Thank you and keep them coming. Next big job I get paid for there's some money coming your way to help keep you doing what you're doing (Karl Whiteley - Illustrator) : )

Nice review, Oliver. Here's a list of movies I believe you should review in future. 1. Short Circuit (1986) 2. The Breakfast Club (1985) 3. The Secret of NIMH (1982) 4. All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989) 5. Angel (1984) 6. Space Balls (1987) 7. Transformers: The Movie (1986) 8. St. Elmo's Fire (1985) 9. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) 10. An American Tale (1986) 11. G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987) These 11 movies were great retrospective classics of the 80s. Plus you haven't done any of these ones yet, and I believe are worth a review by you. I'd love to see them.

16:03 - "I will discuss Gremlins 2 in more detail in the future…" It's been seven years now, Oliver.

December 1984, Empire theatre, Leicester Square, London. With mum and dad. I was 11. Great movie....

4:22 - In the States, Gremlins was given the then new PG-13 certificate. In the United Kingdom, it was a 15 in the cinema and on VHS/home video. It has since been re-classified down to a 12A. A fascinating doc. from the BBFC here shows the board censor's notes and how a PG would have 'necessitated cutting Gremlins to ribbons. www.bbfc.co.uk/sites/default/files/attachments/Gremlins.pdf

please do a retrospective on the original Fright Night!

I saw Gremlins at pre-release screening in California BEFORE it was released in theaters. We were given cards to survey our opinions what we liked or did not like. There were a couple of scenes missing from the bar scene later on when it was released. So my girlfriend and I got to see this movie before anyone else did.

Ive noticed with me watching more and more of your reviews over the years, I've been noticing tid bits more about the technical aspect of films. I just rewatched gremlins just last week as part of my xmas movie marathon. Keep up the great work man.

Such a Classic movie. Loved it back then and still do, even the sequel. And Phoebe Cates, what a hotty. However you did forget to mention that Michael Winslow was voicing one of the gremlings/mogwai. Also you forgot to mention Jonathan Banks as the deputy. Other than that great review

Happy New Year Oliver and Peter. Keep up the good work. Nostalgia is good !

Fantastic review +Oliver Harper I remember me and my younger sister watching some of the scenes from behind the settee! The speech about her dad breaking his neck in the chimney still freaks me out today! So many great 80's films

Fantastic review as always. Here in Denmark we have a tv program that reviews movies and video games, and they've used the Gremlins theme tune from "Gremlins 2 the new batch" as they're theme tune since the early 90's

I love your take on Gremlins. This is and has always been one of my favorite movies. I watch it a few times a year whether it's Christmas time or not. I love Gremlins 2 as well and can't wait to hear what you have to say about it. Also, The Burbs was another favorite of mine during the 80's. Please do a retrospective video of The Burbs. I would love that - : )

This movie is a classic and I was not surprise this movie for the MPAA to create the PG 13 rating. This shows you that 80s movies were ahead of their times.

Another brilliant review with just the right words about another of my favorite films

There are a lot of film connections with this movie. Not only the Back to the Future, and Stand by Me connections, but also both Judge Reinhold and Phoebe Cates were both in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, along with Martin Brest, who directed Beverly Hills Cop (1984) which co-starred Judge Reinhold and Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad), who plays one of the two cops in Gremlins. Jonathan Banks was also in another Eddie Murphy film, 48 Hrs.

when will you make a review on the second movie? I would really love to see it.

Good review Mr. Harper. A great Christmas gift!

They had a ride for this film at Movie World, Gold Coast (Australia). Had some good animatronics, almost too good because as a kid I ran for real when they showed up in the ride.

Oliver as a movie lover myself I really like your videos. Very informative and professionally done. Can I suggest an analysis on Gremlins 2. Personally I think that is one of the most underrated sequels of all time.

@ 21:06, I don't think I've heard your voice get like that, Ollie! :) Gremlins is certainly fun, if really crazy, but that's part of the charm. I actually saw 'Small Soldiers' first as a kid, and didn't know how much it was inspired by Gremlins, which gets the upper hand due to it's well written female characters.

We'll never get films like this anymore, and that's a fact, you know they would make the gremlins cgi, unless there's one person who wants to make a great film and bring back practical effects, like Star Wars 7

Another fine review - hope you had a nice Christmas buddy

Great review! I can tell you love this film haha. I too watch it every year and the store especially reminds me of the 80's.

That main theme was one of the most memorable, along with that little tune Mogwai hums and plays... Great film.

The original draft... Holy shit!

What always confused me about "Gremlins" was one of those rules; "DON'T GET THEM WET". Natch', we all discover that they multiply once any liquid touches their body. If that's a fact, then why did Stripe have to get to the swimming pool in order to do this. I mean, he's running through the "WET" snow. That should have done the trick. As a matter of fact, with all that snow, blanketing the ground, these creatures should have not been able to be killed off at all. Especially if they all took turns rolling around in the snow.Oh well. Still a great and memorable movie. Thanks for the fine review.

Thanks a bunch, Oliver. I always look forward to your reviews. Big up's from India!!

Awesome as always Ollie, big thx.

I noticed that you described Mrs. Deagle as, " basically Scrooge", I think she's more of an homage to Mr. Potter from It's A Wonderful Life. The film follows that scene with Billy's mom watching It's A Wonderful Life on TV, while cutting onions in the kitchen.

This, alongside The Howling are my favourite Dante films. Also they are two of the best ever made.

Fantastic review. Love the heart you put into it

I'm 59yrs Old , so back then I would be 22yrs. When I Watched It... I was Blown Away... BOOOOOM!!!!

The original TV broadcast of "Gremlins" included the deleted scenes. I particularly remember being confused when Judge Reinhold showed up near the end of the film in the bank.

I love this movie even at Christmas time it's a tradition for me to watch Gremlins at late November and Early December

Saw it again last week for Christmas holidays and back-to-back with "The Howling"; for the first time I noticed how Dante quotes himself in "Gremlins": the scene where Billy discovers the body of his former teacher is shot in the same way as the first appearence of the werewolf; and when Billy gets the chicken out of the fridge, a smiley sticker is put on it, just like the mark of the killer in "The Howling".

I already watch this movie every year around Christmas. And spend the whole month of December with as many lights on as I can, checking all the dark corners of my house as I walk around. Love the movie, but the Gremlins still scare the shit out of me, 31 years later.

I remember watching Gremlins on the Disney Channel back in the mid-90s and seeing the scene of Gerrard when he'd locked himself in the vault. It always puzzled me because I never remembered seeing that scene before and I never saw it again until the film was released on DVD. I wonder why they added that scene back in for its television airing when they're always removing scenes for time and censorship.

"Bright Light Bright Light" one of my favorite quotes

A fun thing I only noticed watching this year. The towns deputy is played by a young Jonathan Banks, who famously went on to play Mike in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul

Please do The Last Unicorn one day!

Awesome review, as usual! I will be waiting for the GREMLINS 2 review, dude!!! :D

Thanks for such a great review ...... you really brought back some very fond childhood memories. I remember seeing this on VHS when I was very young and loving this film.... for me too it became an integral part of my xmas viewing. One thing I distinctly remember is having the read along story book and cassette tape ....... with the real voice actors. I was wondering if you remembered ever getting any of those movie story book cassette tape packs? Also, would you consider doing a review of The Untouchables ? the film has huge nostalgia for me (also the Spectrum 128K+ game that came out ...... ) Thanks again for the videos ..... I am going to look into pattern supporting you all the best

I freaking love this movie and it's sequel. I'd watch this even when it's not Christmas. Great Episode as always.

When I was a kid in the late 80's/early 90's, I remember watching the same 5 vhs movies over & over because they were and still are some of my personal favorites. I've decided to rank them from fifth favorite-to-first favorite. An Honorable Mention I want to include is 1 episode from a TV show we recorded and it's the best Halloween Special I've ever seen. The show is HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN and the episode is titled “I WAS A MIDDLE-AGED WEREWOLF." This is definitely a Must-Watch for everyone because it's family friendly but still creepy, and I always watch it every Halloween. My fifth favorite was a vhs my mom bought me containing a few episodes of HE-MAN AND THE MASTER'S OF THE UNIVERSE. This was the only animated show/movie I personally owned until The Lion King and I still love He-man to this day. The forth favorite was FIRST BLOOD and to this day my mom still remembers this being my first favorite movie that I watched numerous times each day when I was only 2 or 3 years old. Honestly I can't believe my mom let me watch this at that age, but it is a great movie and I still remember watching it with my dad who passed away when I was 6. The third movie is one my dad recorded onto a vhs for my sister and I & it was actually 2 separate Disney Specials appearing on ABC called MR. BOOGEDY/BRIDE OF BOOGEDY. Mr. Boogedy is a Disney hidden gem due to it being somewhat of horror film or black comedy, which is something Disney never produces. Mr. Boogedy and Bride of Boogedy were released a year apart and thankfully my dad recorded them when ABC played both back-to-back cuz they were very hard to find for many years. Disney finally released them on DVD a couple years ago, but only for Disney Reward Members. Luckily I got a copy and they are already selling for a steep price on the secondary market, but definitely worth the price if you're a huge fan like me. The final 2 movies are true 80's classics and will forever be 2 of my absolute favorite films so my 2nd is BEETLEJUICE. I can still recall going to Target right after BEETLEJUICE was released on vhs and begging my mom to buy it. Fortunately she agreed and I watched the hell out of that copy. BEETLEJUICE is an amazing film and in my opinion is Tim Burton's best film to date. So that leaves me with my favorite film on vhs which is also in my TOP 3 FAVORITE FILMS OF ALL-TIME with Friday the 13th part VI & Halloween 4. Obviously it's GREMLINS because why else would I leave this comment on a RU-vid video that's over 3 years old. I fell in love with GREMLINS from day 1 and it's the perfect blend of horror and comedy with a couple of very tense scenes like the kitchen scene and final battle. The one thing that sets Gremlins apart from other horror movies is the fact it's set at Christmas time and actually feels like it. They were able to blend just the right amount of comedy and fright together that makes it not too scary for kids but at the same time not too boring for adults.

Ugh, I know this movie is good, but it terrorized me as a kid. My dad always thought it was absolutely hilarious to show me Gremlins, The Fly, Alien, and other classic horror movies when I was as young as 5 or 6. To this day, I can barely tolerate Gremlins without losing it. As always, a fantastic review (even clips give me the creeps!) - thank you so much! I would love to see your take on The Last Unicorn, Contact and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (a random choice, but still great!).

oh The Great and Powerful Oliver has done it again man love the gremlins and it's sequel as well also excited when get to review the sequel as well so Oliver great review and wish a merry christmas and happy new year's and you need well deserve break you deserve man you produced the best quality of Movie reviews in youtube so as always looking forward to your videos in your channel and have nice day bye

Michael Winslow of Police Academy fame also helped with the voice of the Gremlins.

It's great that you did a retro of this movie....I love the movie Gremlins.

Oliver, I'm totally surprised you didn't mention that Howie Mandel did the voice of Gizmo! Ur always so thorough in ur reviews I'm surprised u didn't include this. But , one again , fantastic job!

Great vid!! Well done. Anyone else find it funny judge reinhold and Phoebe were both in the infamous Fasttimes scene? Keep the vids comin! I appreciate the work as i have my own movie channel so hats off to ya

One other thing to note about Keye Luke, he was the first actor to play the Green Hornet's sidekick Kato, in the Green Hornet serials.

I love Billy. He's a hilariously lovable dummy.

20:30 I believe that is Michael Winslow, Jones from Police Academy voicing the mailbox Gremlin.

This movie scared the living crap out of me as a kid, but was still fun to watch. Part of my 80's upbringing.

Go gremlins, great film. Good review oliver, look forward to the sequel in future (:

Again, another great retrospective, Ollie. This really makes me want to check it out again. I haven't seen Gremlins in years since I showed it to my daughter when she was 6 and it really freaked her out. I'd forgotten how violent it was. Also, if I remember right, the origins of Close Encounters, ET, Poltergeist and Gremlins are all connected. Google Night Skies if you get a chance. Speaking of which, I think the film I'd love to see a retrospective on most would be CEot3K. E.T. would be cool too. Anyone else feel the same?

I had the storybook of this, it came with a cassete tape with Tom Baker reading it. I think I bought it at the theatre when I saw the film. I remember it well.

I fucking love gremlins best Christmas movie of all time

It's still one of the most delightfully wicked movies of its time, and packed with nostalgia and a love of cinema. The production values were really fun, and the supporting cast was excellent-- particularly Polly Holliday ("Mel, kiss mah grits!") as Mrs. Deagle who always reminded me of the nasty and uptight Miss Gulch. Deagle's fate is great, a standout sequence in the movie.

great review

I saw this for the first time on Christmas eve at the cinema, they were showing it I assume because of it being it's 30th Anniversary, I did enjoy it and I do love the synth used in it.

I see there's already a podcast of it, but I' d still love to see a retrospective of The Burbs. It's one of my favorite films of all time.

Hey Oliver, I'm sure you're aware that the dialogue by Dick Miller 8:54 about 'Gremlins' attacking planes and such during wartime was a Roald Dahl concept then developed by Walt Disney into an animated film that never happened.

A fun fact about this movie is that the town set is the same one used for Hill Valley in Back to the Future.

Awesome as Always, Mr. Harper.

Dick Miller has also worked in some Roger Corman movies too in addition to Joe Dante movies. Like Bucket of Blood.

I like this film, but for some reason I enjoyed watching the sequel more. The pure insanity of what goes on in Gremlins 2 just made it more entertaining to watch IMO. I still laugh at the bit towards the end when all the gremlins are getting doused with the fire hose and one of them has a bath cap on and sings "I'm singing in the bathtub." And I absolutely love the NES game of Gremlins 2. Tight controls, excellent soundtrack, and just difficult enough to be challenging but beatable with practice and patience. Definitely one of the better movie based games out there.

Excellent always. One of the best reviewers on the internet. What’s with all these ‘unfortunately he died’ comments? It’s arguably just as unfortunate to be born as it is to die. If you’re never born, there is no ‘you’ to be deprived of anything.

Fantastic video!

You should check out GoodBadFlicks video about Gremlins 2, there's a lot of in-depth stuff about the film you probably don't know about. Besides it might change your view on it, the film is not perfect but I love it for what it is instead of hating it for what it isn't.

Love Gremlins and Joe Dante's work in general. Great video as always.

You do great work, thanks. Liked and subbed.

I was a gremlins 2 guy. The variety of gremlins was awesome. And thats wild how gizmo was supposed to be stripe. I did like how gizmo was rough looking in the piano scene.

Congratulations Oliver for reviewing one of the coolest classic of the 80's. Now, please if you have some time consider to make one retrospective in "Matinee". I really love this movie which make fun of the many of those "cult" sci fi of the fifties. Here in Chile was never release in theaters and VHS (for some problem with the copyrights) so the first time I could saw it was in TV (dubbed and cut and trust me, here in South America they really make awful, but awful work).

God, I haven’t seen this movie in ages. It’s an utter classic and I would love to see a third film, something I think would be perfect in this day and age that’s populated with 80s nostalgia.

Gremlins, BTTF, and RoTJ were my 3 fave LP soundtracks of the time!

I really hope you do a retro of the sequel soon

This movie would have been pretty grim if Gizmo would have turned into Stripe. Good lord.

its crazy im a fan since 2014 i rem this at the start to where Oliver is today its crazy and im happy for him

I just met ZACH G. @ Indy PopCon 2015 and he gave me an autograph of the DVD of GREMLINS!