 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Gremlins
- Review Date: August 3, 2005
- PG
- Genre: Thriller
- 1984
Common Sense Media says
A comic horror movie classic.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this horror film has many scary scenes, including a mom chopping up a Gremlin with a kitchen knife is scary, a Gremlin-in-blender and classic Gremlin-in-microwave scenes.
What's the story?
In the heart of Chinatown, Billy's dotty dad discovers a Mogwai (mog-why) and buys it as a Christmas present for him. Billy loves his sweet furry pet Gizmo, but disregards the basic rules of owning a Mogwai. Gizmo spawns nasty offspring, and the new creatures immediately go wild, dispatching a science teacher and tearing up the house. Billy and his mom are forced to destroy the little suckers. The mayhem looks under control until Spike, the malicious Gremlin leader, hops into the school swimming pool and multiplies exponentially. Soon the whole town is under attack. In the end, Billy and his girlfriend Kate (Phoebe Cates) blow up the town theater with the Gremlins inside. Just when the plot seems predictably laid out, the movie transforms into something else -- something much worse. The monsters mutate, and you just don't see the nastiness coming.
Is it any good?
This hit from the 1984 has lost none of its ability to frighten and entertain. Both a dark comedy and a cultural commentary, GREMLINS adds up to much more than a monster flick. Although they grow meaner, the Gremlins possess a sick sense of humor that establishes the twisted comic tone. Visually, the movie is also filled with fun touches, like a "Have a Safe and Happy Holiday" sign shown while a science teacher is rather indelicately butchered.
The special effects are also convincing if not original: Gizmo looks a bit like an Ewok from Star Wars, and the Gremlin pods seem lifted directly from Alien. Gremlins even attempts a message by exploring the evils of mid-'80s corporate culture: human acquisitiveness and the drive to conquer and control nature. In the end, the old Chinese man who sold Billy's dad the Mogwai returns to sum it up: "You do with Mogwai what your society has done with all of nature's gifts. You are not ready."
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the movie's message. What do you think the point was? Do most horror movies have messages? What are some others you can think of?
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Parent of 9 year old
October 11, 2009
AGE
It's OK, if your kids don't believe in Santa!
It's been awhile since I have seen this movie. My 9 year old does not scare easily and I new she would love the cute little Gremlin that never changed. However, I deeply regret showing this movie to my daughter who still holds onto a belief in Santa Claus. There is a scene where a young woman is telling her boyfriend why she hates Christmas. She explains her father died in her chimney when he was dressed as Santa attempting to surprise her one Christmas. The woman states, "That's how I found out there is no Santa Claus". My daughter was very upset by this. If your children still believe in Santa, don't show them this movie!
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
Different as an adult than I remembered it as a Kid
I did remember the comical violence and mean-spirited mischief of the gremlins. I thought that would be okay. What I didn't remember was the swearing (some things I think would have earned it a pg13 now. Also there is an instance where the main female character reveals a yucky-to-kids Christmas situation from her past. She should have ended with, "That's when I stopped liking Christmas," rather than what she did say (specific thought about the man in red.) The movie doesn't do anything to redeem that line and it doesn't add or detract from the story.
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Adult
July 24, 2009
AGE
Depends on the child
My 6 yr old and I watched this movie when he was 5 and he loved it so much he begs to let him watch it over and over. We discussed it in great length, he knows movies aren't real, never has nightmares, knows he's not allowed to use adult language and he laughs at most of it because the 'gremlins' aren't real, now he can pretty much tell me the whole story, and somehow the 'Santa' reference gets unnoticed every time he watches. Every child is different and has a different level of comprehension, it should ultimately be up to the parent to know their child well enough to know what they can handle and what they can't. I never considered this a 'horror' flick ever and actually told my son when we watched it that it's a super funny movie and laughed during most of it myself - ergo why he laughs at most of it. It's important for parents to always watch any kind of movie for the first time with their child and to really know their child. I know dozens of kids I wouldn't dream of letting watch this movie but I know my own kid and know he can handle it. And I was going to be one of those parents who censored everything and sheltered my kid from all of these things, only to find out that won't help him in the long run. There has to be open discussion about everything and the younger the better.
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Parent of 10 year old
August 20, 2009
AGE
Have to carefully judge for yourself regarding "right" age to watch
We were looking for a "scary" movie for my daughter's birthday sleepover. The clerk recommended Gremlins as a classic, and assured me it was rated PG. I now understand that some 80's movies with PG ratings were rated before PG-13 existed, and therefore I need to be suspect of PG from that era. My biggest complaint is that the story line begins by humanizing the first "good" gremlin, so when the killing and horror begins, it feels really disturbing in an almost "human on human" kind of violence. I also was very uncomfortable with the casual inclusion (and glamorization/humor) of smoking and alcohol use. In the long run, we watched "Arachnophobia" for our party, which I would love to review but is not currently listed on this site. My 10 yr old and I did watch Gremlins together alone after the party, and she did enjoy it for the most part--she just is a kid who kinda likes gross and scary things. But I would have been horrified to have accidentally hosted it for a large group of 10 yr olds, some of which could easily been bothered by the content.
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Teen, 15 years old
April 22, 2011
AGE
Three Rules, Big Consquences
Gremlins is really more funny than scary in any way you look at it. How many horror films have the monsters watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? (Spoilers)
One gremlin kills someone with lethal injections, and they cause other evil such as attacking others and breaking traffic lights. Stripe's death is the scariest part of all. Kate talks about the death of her father at Christmas, and you see Gizmo and Billy's reactions.
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Parent of 10 year old
July 29, 2010
AGE
its a very good movie but age 10 and over is on
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Kid, 12 years old
July 31, 2010
AGE
funny movie, but with little kids and parents, it might scare you
this is one of the funniest movies i have ever seen. the characters are great but the gremlins and gizmo totally steal the show. the movie is funny, but little kids shouldn't see this.
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Teen, 17 years old
September 28, 2010
AGE
Possible for tweens.
I agree with CSM this movie is iffy for 9 year olds (but warning only let them see this movie if they already know there's no santa claus.) They also left out that there's a rather disturbing image of a bunny getting cut open and showing its beating heart. It might frighten younger viewers and some gremlins get killed rather violently such as, melting, decapitating, getting ground up with chunks of green blood, imploding, and stabbed. People also get killed but some just get cuts and stuff.
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Kid, 12 years old
April 7, 2011
AGE
Great film
This film is really good and really funny. It has some comic horror(gremlins blown up in a microwave, whizzed up in a blender and cut up) but this is why it was probably why it was rated a 15( this may not be not the case if you are in America because the age rating system is different in Britain) However it is not just the gremlins that are killed it is the humans to
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Kid, 10 years old
April 10, 2011
AGE
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| Topics: | monsters, ghosts, and vampires |
| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Joe Dante |
| Cast: | Hoyt Axton, Phoebe Cates, Zach Galligan |
| Genre: | Thriller |
| Run time: | 106 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | June 8, 1984 |
| DVD release date: | September 30, 1997 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | scary situations and mild violence |
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