Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Gremlins arrived in the summer of 1984 as one of the defining hybrid films of the era, blending Amblin warmth with genuine horror mechanics under Warner Bros' banner. Directed by Joe Dante and produced by Steven Spielberg's fledgling shingle, it became a cultural flashpoint, its mix of holiday charm and creature mayhem so unsettling to some parents that it helped push the MPAA toward creating the PG-13 rating. The film's success cemented practical creature effects as a box office draw and gave rise to a franchise still referenced in pop culture today.
This cell is drawn from an interior sequence depicting the gremlins in full assault mode, the moment the film pivots from mischief into chaos within the confines of a household setting. It represents the core selling point of the picture for collectors: the transformation of Gizmo's cute mogwai brethren into the anarchic, destructive creatures that made the film famous. Interior attack material is prized because it captures the practical puppetry and choreography that defined the era's creature work, a tactile piece of 1984 genre filmmaking history.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Gremlins (1984).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges look clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a mono or stereo optical print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm, slightly amber-yellow tint typical of older acetate safety stock; the dye image appears intact with no obvious fading.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the subject matter is consistent with an interior scene from the film on record.
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, warm acetate base tint, and perforation style are all consistent with a 1984 theatrical release print era.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000030121
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
