Gremlins
Gremlins is a horror comedy sold as a family film, and the mismatch changed American film ratings. Joe Dante directed it from Chris Columbus's script with Steven Spielberg producing, and its violence — alongside Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom the same summer — was a direct reason the PG-13 rating was introduced in 1984.
About Gremlins
Gremlins is a horror comedy sold as a family film, and the mismatch changed American film ratings. Joe Dante directed it from Chris Columbus's script with Steven Spielberg producing, and its violence — alongside Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom the same summer — was a direct reason the PG-13 rating was introduced in 1984. The franchise rests on a single pet with three rules: keep it out of bright light, keep it away from water, and never feed it after midnight. Everything that goes wrong follows from someone breaking one.
Gremlins was one of two 1984 releases that prompted the creation of the PG-13 rating.
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Key eras
| Era | Years | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Gremlins | 1984 | Joe Dante's original. |
| Gremlins 2: The New Batch | 1990 | A satire of the first film. |
| Animated series | 2023– | Secrets of the Mogwai and its sequel series. |