The beloved horror-comedy \u201cGremlins\u201d might be turning 30 this year, but at a late afternoon screening at the fifth annual Hero Complex Film Festival in Hollywood, the film proved it can still cast a spell over viewers.<\/p>\n
Not that director Joe Dante ever expected it to become such a cultural touchstone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was amazed,\u201d Dante said Saturday. \u201cYou never know if anybody\u2019s going to be on your wavelength.\u201d<\/p>\n
Produced by Steven Spielberg with a script from Chris Columbus, the 1984 film,\u00a0which starred\u00a0Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates, introduced moviegoers to the race of adorable creatures known as mogwai \u2014 and their far more devious counterparts.<\/p>\n
The story centers on the pandemonium that springs up in a small town after Galligan\u2019s Billy inadvertently breaks the three cardinal rules for caring for his mogwai Gizmo (voiced by Howie Mandel) and ends up unleashing a gremlin horde on the unsuspecting citizenry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe movie is one long suspension of disbelief. These rules don\u2019t make any particular sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking with Hero Complex\u2019s Gina McIntyre after the screening, Dante talked about the making of the film, which he called grueling, particularly the process of shooting with only puppets for weeks on end.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a constant battle of what we could and couldn\u2019t do,\u201d Dante said.<\/p>\n
During the conversation, the filmmaker also touched on his subsequent movies, including the madcap, self-reverential and strange sequel \u201cGremlins 2: The New Batch,\u201d which features animation from famed Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones.<\/p>\n
It was a fitting inclusion, as Dante said that he initially wanted to be a cartoonist and that the tone of the medium always influences his films.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a cartoony quality to the humor that pops up, fairly irrepressibly, in my movies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Although he spent much of the conversation showcasing his casual wit, Dante made clear that he maintains a sense of wonder when it comes to filmmaking. He described directing as a great job and one that had endlessly exciting possibilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can create magic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Check back in the coming days for video of discussions with the festival\u2019s special guests.