Joe Dante makes horror funny without making it harmless. We rate his appetite for bad behaviour, though Gremlins also exposes the cost: creatures so entertaining that the humans seem to have been given less thought.
Fi1m perspective
The Christmas cheer in Gremlins (1984) is convincing enough that its destruction feels rude. Dante first lets us want the strange creature bought as a present, then makes its appeal part of the trouble. Chris Columbus’s script supplies rules that demand care, and Dante gives the early sweetness time to work. We laughed at the creatures’ destructiveness, then felt slightly ashamed: their pleasure had briefly mattered more to us than the people in their way.
That combination of horror and impudence was already taking shape in Piranha (1978) and The Howling (1981), both written by John Sayles. Dante draws on 1950s B-films and cartoon comedy, with respectable suburban America among his recurring targets. The breakthrough with Gremlins gave those tastes a particularly apt setting: a wholesome small town at Christmas. The setting matters because we have to believe in the town before we can enjoy watching the creatures disrupt it.
Production designer James H. Spencer makes the town reassuring enough for the creatures’ arrival to feel like an intrusion. John Hora’s cinematography keeps the warmth and the monsters in the same film; their cuteness and ugliness remain legible. Dante lets us look at them, and they are worth looking at before they start causing damage. The reservation is plain: several of the humans are less interesting than their attackers. We can enjoy the chaos while wishing the people had been written with equal care.
Dante turns to effects-heavy farce in Innerspace (1987), suburban suspicion in The 'Burbs (1989), and self-aware sequel comedy in Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). The sequel’s in-jokes can become self-indulgent, asking us to enjoy the references as much as Dante does. Dick Miller and Robert Picardo are recurring members of his acting company. Matinee (1993) brings his affection for B-films and cinema-going more directly into the story. Start with Gremlins, but only if everyone on the sofa agrees that a Christmas film need not be nice.
Biography
Joe Dante (born Joseph James Dante Jr. on 28 November 1946) is an American film director, producer and editor. He was born in Morristown, New Jersey, and began his career in the 1970s as a trailer editor for Roger Corman’s New World Pictures after studying at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Dante made his feature directorial debut with Hollywood Boulevard (1976, co-directed with Allan Arkush). He is known for Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Gremlins (1984), Explorers (1985), Innerspace (1987), The 'Burbs (1989), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Matinee (1993), Small Soldiers (1998) and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). He has also directed episodes of television series including Amazing Stories, Masters of Horror, Hawaii Five-0 and DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
