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Gremlins_-_4K_Trailer

Gremlins - 4K Trailer

Gremlins is a 1984 American horror comedy movie directed by Joe Dante, released by Warner Bros. It is about a young man who receives a strange creature called a Mogwai as a pet, which then spawns other creatures who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters. It was followed by a sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, in 1990. In contrast to the sequel, the original film opts for more of a black comedy, balanced against a Christmastime setting. Both films were also the center of large merchandising campaigns.

Synopsis[]

Kingston Falls is a small, economically depressed town in the northeastern U.S. that has been hit hard by the loss of jobs in the 1970s and 80s. Among the people out of work was Rand Peltzer, a middle-aged man who we see in Chinatown in New York looking for a Christmas present for his son, Billy. Rand had become an inventor of dubious skills. He made a little money selling his usually unreliable inventions, but it was Billy, who had a job as a bank teller, keeping the family just barely above water. Rand hoped to sell one of his inventions to the proprietor of a junk store in Chinatown, but he became interested in a little furry creature he found in the back. The elderly proprietor refused to sell it, but his teenage grandson, knowing that their family also was desperate for money, sold it to Rand without his grandfather's knowledge or consent. The boy told Rand three important rules for care of the creature but did not elaborate on why they were important.

We then meet Billy, who can't get his car started one cold December morning. He gives up after a while, and talks to his friend, Pete, and then to another family friend, Mr. Futterman, who had also lost his job some while back. Mr. Futterman knows that American goods, which he produced a few years earlier, are built like a tank and the best in the world, and he is highly distrustful of cheaper, lower-quality imports (including Billy's car) that cost him his job. Billy goes to his job at the bank on foot, his dog, Barney, in tow, and just barely makes it on time. While at work, he is visited by Mrs. Deagle, a bitter old woman who owns much property in town, which exacerbates many of the people's financial distress. Mrs. Deagle tells Billy that Barney destroyed one of her lawn ornaments, but would rather have Barney put down than be paid for the damages. Barney, sensing that something is up, jumps out from under Billy's desk and frightens Mrs. Deagle. The bank manager, Mr. Corbin, yells at Billy for bringing Barney to work, but lets him keep his job.

After work, Billy stops by the bar, where he sees that his coworker and love interest, Kate, has a part time side job at the bar. He returns home and talks to his mother, just before Rand gets home from his trip to Chinatown. Rand has the creature, a "mogwai", which he has named Gizmo, and since a living creature can't wait until Christmas, Rand gives him the present a few days early. After the flash from a camera frightens the creature, Rand remembers to tell Billy three rules: The creature does not like bright light and can be killed by sunlight, they must never give it any water, and they must never feed it after midnight.

The next day, Billy sees Pete again, and they play with Gizmo, but Pete accidentally knocks over a glass of water and gets him wet. He goes into convulsions and five tiny furballs pop out of his back. They grow and develop into creatures just like him: he has reproduced. Billy goes to tell Rand, who immediately starts thinking about how he might make money selling them. Pete wants to take a creature home, but Billy thinks it best to take one to the local school and have the science teacher examine it first. Once there, he puts a single drop of water on it, and a new one emerges. The science teacher, fascinated, keeps it for examination, and Billy leaves.

Billy discovers that the new creatures' personalities are markedly different from Gizmo's. He is friendly and playful, but the new creatures are mean, nasty, and destructive. One of them, which Billy names Stripe, has a white mohawk and is the leader of the new pack. He tries to bite Billy's hand when he goes to pet it. That evening, Billy finds Barney hanging from some Christmas lights outside. He immediately suspects Mrs. Deagle, but there are no footprints anywhere outside. Rand tells Billy that he would take Barney with him to an upcoming inventors' convention, where he hoped to peddle his wares some more.

Later, Billy stops by the bar again, and sees Kate persuade a very drunk, dejected Mr. Futterman to walk home instead of driving. As Billy walks her home, she tells him that she dislikes Christmas, but gets defensive when he asks why. Just as they arrive at her home, Billy asks her out, and she accepts. That night, Billy is reading and the creatures are clamoring to be fed. He looks over at the clock: it's 11:35, so he goes and gets the creatures some fried chicken, which they all devour, except Gizmo, who refuses. Meanwhile, at the school, the science teacher antagonizes the creature in his care by performing blood tests on it. After working well into the night, the teacher leaves around 2:20am.. He left half a sandwich on the table, which the creature can reach from his cage, and eats it.

On Christmas Eve morning, Rand has left with Barney for the convention. Billy asks his mother to come upstairs and look. All of the creatures have disappeared, except Gizmo. They have been replaced by soccer-ball sized cocoons, which appear inert. His mother asks if he fed them after midnight, and he looks over at the clock - which still reads 11:35. He checks it and discovers that the wires were deliberately chewed up, so it really was after midnight when he fed them.

That afternoon, Rand calls home from the convention, saying he's coming home early because the other inventors are far more advanced than he was, and would be in late that night. Meanwhile, Billy and Pete meet the science teacher at the school, where the creature there has undergone a similar transformation. The science teacher refers to it as the pupal stage. Afterward, the bell rings and the science teacher wishes his departing students a merry Christmas. Just around that time, the cocoons start to hatch. At the Peltzer house, a terrified Gizmo takes refuge inside a football helmet. The science teacher calls Billy at the bank, telling him "they've hatched", and Billy, just getting off work, runs to the school. There he finds that the creature has killed the science teacher and shoved his syringe (from the blood tests) into his butt. Immediately alarmed, he reaches for the phone, but a clawed hand rises up and bats him away. He follows the creature throughout the building, and gets his first look at the now vaguely-reptilian creature when it takes another swipe at him. It isn't much bigger than before, but is even more malicious, and has teeth and razor-sharp claws with which to cause havoc. It escapes.

Meanwhile, at the Peltzer house, the creatures have pulled Gizmo from his hiding place and are busy torturing him. Billy's mother hears sounds upstairs and goes up with a knife to investigate, but finds nothing except the five hatched cocoons. Just then, Billy calls her from the school, warning her to leave the house immediately, but one of the creatures disconnects the phone line. Then she hears noises downstairs, goes to investigate, and sees the creatures making a mess of the place. Using household items, she kills the creatures one at a time, though she is unfortunately attacked by the fourth one. When Billy arrives home to help and kills that one himself, the last of the creatures, the one with the mohawk, escapes.

Taking Gizmo with him, Billy tracks the creature to the YMCA, where it had broken in. It takes another swipe at him, and he is just in time to see it jump into the pool, multiplying. Now hopelessly outnumbered, he retreats as thousands of little creatures emerge. Billy returns home and takes his mother to see a doctor for the wounds inflicted by the creature. He goes to the police station and tries to get the cops to take action, or at least warn people, but they think he is drunk and refuse to do anything. When the first calls come in about freak accidents and fires caused by the creatures, the cops go out to check things out, leaving Billy alone.

The creatures set out to destroy as much as they can, injuring a mailman and tampering with the electrical grid, causing sparks to fly and lights to go on and off all over town. They cause car wrecks by making all the lights at an intersection green. They kill Mrs. Deagle by tampering with her stair-lift, making it go so fast that it flings her out an upstairs window. They get into the Futtermans' snowplow, use it to demolish half of their house, and they disable the brakes on the police car, so when the cops are going to the Futtermans', they wreck the car. Pete manages to keep the creatures at bay from his bedroom window.

Billy gets in his unreliable car, and this time it starts without any problem. He goes to the bar to check on Kate, who is being held hostage by the creatures. They have occupied the bar and are drinking beer, getting drunk, playing cards (and cheating and being caught), breakdancing, playing with the ceiling fans, and tearing stuff up as best as they can. Kate notices that they shrink away from her matches when she tries to light their cigarettes. Quick on the uptake, she picks up a camera and takes their picture, the flash each time making them cringe. She gets to the door, but is confronted by another creature wearing sunglasses and holding a gun. Luckily, this one is forced to retreat when the glare of Billy's headlights illuminates the bar's front window.

Meanwhile, Rand is still on his way home. He stops at a gas station to call home again, but can't get through (the line is out). He does manage to bring in a little money by selling one of his inventions, a smokeless ashtray (which actually billows smoke) to the attendant. Barney barks at him, which irritates him; they still have a long drive ahead of them.

Back in Kingston Falls, Billy's car doesn't start, so he and Kate have to run for it. They go to the bank, only to find that it too has been vandalized by the creatures. They can hear small explosions in the distance. Kate says she now has two reasons to dislike Christmas, and explains the first one. When she was a little girl, her father disappeared without a trace on Christmas Eve, and he was found dead several days later in their chimney, where he was dressed as Santa Claus. He had been hoping to surprise Kate, but had slipped and broken his neck, and his body got stuck there.

After telling this story, Billy and Kate notice that calm has returned to the town, and all the lights are on. Figuring they must all be in some place dark, they go to the local movie theater, where, sure enough, all the creatures are inside watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. They go to the cellar and turn on the gas, and leave some burning newspapers and towels, intending to destroy the building with the creatures inside it. Just as they're leaving, the creatures detect their presence and go after them. Billy and Kate, who still have Gizmo, flee through the back door with the creatures in hot pursuit, and they manage to barricade the door, trapping them inside. After a few minutes, the gas leak causes an explosion, seemingly killing all the creatures. But then Kate spots one survivor, Stripe, in the window of a Montgomery Ward; he had left the theater briefly to obtain food and saw the explosion. Determined not to let him escape, Billy and Kate break into the store. Billy takes a bat and goes to look for him, while Kate gets into the back rooms and starts looking for anything useful, such as lights.

Stripe uses items he finds in the store to attack Billy - a tennis ball launcher, a small crossbow, and later, a chainsaw. Kate, in the back room, finds a set of circuit breakers and starts turning stuff on randomly - the background music system, some lights, and a water fountain. Billy uses the bat to defend himself from Stripe's chainsaw when the lights come on, distracting him and forcing him to retreat. By this time, the first light of Christmas morning dawn is visible in the east. Rand and Barney are finally getting back into town, but Barney barks at the broken window of the store, jumps out of the car, and into the store. A cranky Rand parks the car and follows him.

Gizmo has left Billy's backpack and is now roaming the store, and he and Barney meet once more. He has found a toy car to drive around. They finally locate Stripe, who has discovered the water fountain, and the gun sale counter. Billy rushes into the garden area, with the fountain, only to find Stripe poised to reproduce again. He shoots the gun, but misses, and Gizmo drives his toy car up a leaning shovel, flying through the air and striking the window shades. One of them rolled up all the way to the top, letting in streaming sunlight directly onto Stripe, killing him. As Billy watches, he melts in a puddle of gunk and falls into the water. Kate and Rand arrive in the room and see the mess. Stripe's decaying body jumps out of the fountain for one last scare, but he can't handle the sunlight and collapses.

That evening, the Peltzers are watching the news about the destruction, which is described as a series of unexplained accidents and fires. They are confronted by the owner of the Chinese junk shop, who knew exactly where to go once he heard the news. He can barely conceal his disgust for television and western society in general. He returns Rand's $200, and takes Gizmo back with him, but before he goes, he tells Billy that one day, he might be ready to become Gizmo's caretaker. The movie ends with Rand's voice telling viewers that if they have any unexplained electrical or mechanical problems, they should be alert for gremlins.

Songs[]

Notes[]

Deleted scenes[]

The DVD and Blu-ray contained the following deleted scenes:

  • Mr. Peltzer is looking in a store in Chinatown, with a shopkeeper who doesn't know a word of English, when he is greeted by the Chinese boy, who leads Mr. Peltzer to the boy's grandfather's shop.
  • Billy is lectured by his boss, Mr. Corben, for being 17 minutes late.
  • Billy looks at his drawings, for a comic strip, in his room.
  • Billy sees the reverend on the street. The reverend tries to give Billy his Christmas card, but he can't find it in his pile, so he just tells Billy he will mail it to him.
  • Kate shows Billy Mrs. Deagle's plans to sell their houses and build a Nuclear plant. They are then discovered by Gerald, who says he will let them out easy if Kate will go out with him. Kate refuses, and Gerald notes she is tough, just like him.
  • Stripe listens to a bunch of carolers, while hidden in the snow (actually, according to the commentary, he is singing along and making the carolers wonder who's off key, but there is no audio for Stripe).
  • Mr. Futterman tells his wife that Mrs. Deagle has closed down the noodle factory where he worked for good. His wife then reassures him that there is more to life than macaroni.
  • Billy and Kate find Mr. Corben with a clock smashed on his head. They then find Gerald in the vault. Billy tries to free Gerald, however Gerald thinks that Billy wants to free him just so Billy and Kate would get promotions (Gerald presumably would now have Mr. Corben's job). Billy then closes the vault and tells Kate that Gerald will be better off in there and they will come and get him later. This was added for the NBC premiere airing.

Edits[]

  • The HBO Family airings cut out three scenes involving Gremlins dying.
  • The Hub Network airings heavily shortened the scene where Billy's mom kills the gremlins.

Cast[]

Actor(s)/actress(es) Character(s)
Hoyt Axton Randall Peltzer
John Louie Chinese Boy
Keye Luke Grandfather
Don Steele (voice) Rockin' Ricky Rialto
Susan Burgess Little girl
Scott Brady Sheriff Frank
Arnie Moore Alex
Corey Feldman Pete Fountaine
Harry Carey Jr. Mr. Anderson
Zach Galligan Billy Peltzer
Dick Miller Murray Futterman
Phoebe Cates Kate Beringer
Polly Holliday Ruby Deagle
Don Elson Man on Street
Belinda Balaski Mrs. Joe Harris
Daniel Llewelyn Hungry Harris child
Edward Andrews Mr. Corben
Judge Reinhold Gerald Hopkins
Lois Foraker Bank teller
Chuck Jones Himself
Kenny Davis Dorry
Frances Lee McCain Lynn Peltzer
Glynn Turman Roy Hanson
Nick Katt
Tracy Wells
Students
John C. Becher Dr. Molinaro
Gwen Willson Mrs. Molinaro
Jackie Joseph Sheila Futterman
Jonathan Banks Deputy Brent
Joe Brooks Dave Meyers
Jim MacKrell Lew Landers
Frank Welker (voice) Stripe
Mogwai
Gremlins
Howie Mandel (voice) Gizmo
Fred Newman
Mark Dodson
Michael Winslow
Peter Cullen
Bob Bergen
Mike Sheehan
Bob Holt
Mogwai/Gremlin voices
Mushroom (Dog) Barney
Uncredited
Edward Arnold Donald Deagle
Frank Baxter (archive footage) Mr. Fiction Writer
Adam & Karen Bean Kids in Town Square
Tom Bergeron TV News Reporter
Richard Carlson (archive footage) Dr. Research
Jerry Goldsmith (composer) Man in telephone booth
Bob Harks Townsman
Marvin Miller (voice) Robby the Robot
Dean Rader-Duval Ron
William Schallert Father Bartlett
Steven Spielberg Man in electric wheelchair
Kenneth Tobey Mobil gas station attendant

External links[]

Warner Bros.
Movies
Warner Bros. Pictures Christmas in ConnecticutGremlinsLethal WeaponNational Lampoon's Christmas VacationBatman ReturnsJack FrostThe Polar ExpressKiss Kiss Bang BangFred Claus
New Line Cinema The Long Kiss GoodnightElfThe Nativity StoryFour ChristmasesA Very Harold & Kumar 3D ChristmasThe Conjuring 2Collateral BeautyShazam!8-Bit Christmas
Blue Ribbon Content A Christmas Story 2A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish
Warner Bros. Television National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island AdventureThe Year Without a Santa ClausChristmas on the Square
Live-action television episodes
Friends and Joey "The One With the Monkey" • "The One With Phoebe's Dad" • "The One Where Rachel Quits" • "The One With the Girl from Poughkeepsie" • "The One With the Inappropriate Sister" • "The One With the Routine" • "The One With All the Candy" • "The One With the Holiday Armadillo" • "The One With Monica's Boots" • "The One with Ross's Step Forward" • "The One With the Creepy Holiday Card" • "The One With Christmas in Tulsa" • "Joey and the Plot Twist" • "Joey and the Christmas Party"
DC Comics "Season's Greedings" • "Home is Where the Hurt Is" • "Twas the Night Before Mxymas" • "Lexmas" • "Gemini" • "Year's End" • "Three Ghosts"
Other shows "A Semi-Merry Christmas" • "Mel, the Magi" • "Mel's Christmas Carol" • "'Tis the Season to Be Jealous" • "A Christmas Story" (Growing Pains) • "The Kid" • "It's Not Easy Being Green" • "A Christmas Story" (Just the Ten of Us) • "Santa Goes Downtown" • "Let It Snow" • "The Night Court Before Christmas" • "Santa on the Lam" • "Have Yourself a Merry Winslow Christmas" • "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Urkel" • "Christmas is Where the Heart is" • "Miracle on Elm Street" • "Fa La La La Laagghh!" • "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" • "Deck the Malls" • "The Christmas Show" • "The Man Who Canceled Christmas" • "Christmas Day-Ja Vu" • "A Country Christmas" • "The Gift" • "A Miracle Happens Here" • "Homeless for the Holidays" • "Do You See What I See" • "The Miracle Worker" • "How the Finch Stole Christmas" • "The Greatest of Gifts" • "I'll Be Home For Christmas" • "Hindsight" • "Twas the Night" • "All About Christmas Eve" • "City of Mercy" • "Meet the Cuban Parents" • "Christmas Punch" • "A Clear and Presentless Danger" • "George is Being Elfish and Christ-Misses His Family" • "Santa's Secret Stuff" • "A Very Supernatural Christmas" • "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis" • "The Maternal Congruence" • "The Santa Simulation" • "The Cooper Extraction" • "The Clean Room Infiltration" • "Christmas" (The Middle) • "A Simple Christmas" • "A Christmas Gift" • "Christmas Help" • "The Christmas Tree" • "The Christmas Wall" • "Not So Silent Night" • "A Very Marry Christmas" • "The Christmas Miracle" • "It's Beginning to Stink a Lot Like Christmas" • "Jolly Red Elf" • "The World Ain't Over 'Till It's Over" • "Santa's Village of the Damned" • "Walnuts and Demerol" • "Warning, It's Dirty" • "One False Move, Zimbabwe!" • "Give Santa a Tail-Hole" • "On Vodka, On Soda, On Blender, On Mixer" • "Family, Bublé, Deep-Fried Turkey" • "Home for Christmas" • "Jingle Bell Glock" • "The Walk-Out" • "Yule Never Know" • "Merry Ex-Mas" • "A Very Carrie Christmas" • "Veronica's Christmas Song" • "Veronica's Secret Santa" • "An Echolls Family Christmas" • "One Angry Veronica"
Animated productions
Looney Tunes and related shows The Shanty Where Santy Claus LivesBedtime for SnifflesGift WrappedBugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales • "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special" • "'Twas the Day Before Christmas" • "Jingle Boo" • "The Great Wakkorotti: The Holiday Concert" • "A Christmas Plotz" • "Little Drummer Warners" • "No Time for Christmas" • "A Pinky and the Brain Christmas" • "It Happened One Night Before Christmas" • "In Arms Way" • "The Twelve Days of Christmas" • Christmas Eve with Yakko, Wakko & Dot • "Noel" • "The Christmas Tree" • "The Banks of the Delaware River" • "Feather Christmas" • "Yule Be Sorry" • "Christmas in July" • Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas • "A Christmas Carol" • "Tis the Seasoning" • "Winter Blunderland" • "The Legend of Burrito Monday" • Bugs Bunny's 24-Carrot Holiday Special • "Looneyburg Lights" • "How the Brain Thieved Christmas" • "Santamaniacs"
DC Comics "Christmas With the Joker" • "Holiday Knights" • "Frozen Out" • "Comfort and Joy" • "Storybook Holiday" • "Invasion of the Secret Santas!" • "Second Christmas" • "The True Meaning of Christmas" • "Halloween v Christmas" • "Teen Titans Save Christmas" • "Party Animal" • "Beast Boy on a Shelf" / "Christmas Crusaders" • "A Holiday Story"
Hanna-Barbera co-productions "A Dickens of a Christmas" • A Scooby-Doo! Christmas • "Ho Ho Horrors" • Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker TaleScooby-Doo! Haunted HolidaysTom and Jerry: Santa's Little Helpers • "The Plight Before Christmas" • "Scary Christmas" • "Scroogey Doo" • "It's a Wacky Life" • "Dashing Thru the Snow" • "Signed, Sealed and Wacky" • "The Spirit of Frostnos" • Tom and Jerry: Snowman's Land
Other cartoons "Yuletide and Redtide" • A Cool Like That Christmas • "Santa Mask" • The Polar Express • "The Match Before Xmas" • A Miser Brothers' Christmas • "Da Grinchy Code / Duck" • "FROST / Undercover Claus" • "Fantastic Four Christmases / Red and White Collar" • Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas • "Christmas in Oz" • "Top of the Naughty List" • "Mandora Saves Christmas" • Beebo Saves Christmas
Albums
Have Yourself a Looney Tunes ChristmasA Hip-Hopera ChristmasMerry Christmas: Animaniacs & Looney TunesThe Looney Tunes Kwazy ChristmasA Looney Tunes Sing-A-Long Christmas
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