Gremlins (1984) Parents Guide: Is the movie OK for kids?

Bontent's parent guide suggests Gremlins is best for ages 11+. It's rated PG. After a teenager accidentally violates the care rules for his unique new pet, a small town is overrun by malevolent, destructive creatures. Although rated PG, the film features intense creature horror and surprisingly…

Gremlins is officially rated PG. Bontent's independent parent guide recommends it for ages 11+.

After a teenager accidentally violates the care rules for his unique new pet, a small town is overrun by malevolent, destructive creatures. Although rated PG, the film features intense creature horror and surprisingly graphic violence, including monsters being killed in kitchen appliances and several dark human…

The sexual content is mild and mostly played for absurdist humor rather than titillation. One notable sequence features a female-coded gremlin attempting to kiss a human character, and a gremlin in a trench coat briefly flashes his torso to a woman. There is…

Moderate. Gremlins kill several people in darkly comic, sometimes gruesome ways (a blender, a microwave); scary creature attacks and some blood. This film helped create the PG-13 rating.

The film contains occasional mild profanity and some insults that were typical for PG-rated films of the 1980s. Viewers will hear a few uses of words like 'hell' and 'damn,' along with some name-calling between neighbors. The dialogue is generally appropriate…

Moderate. Gremlins drink and smoke; a famously dark monologue about a father's death.

Responsibility, consequences, and consumerism. A horror-comedy that's genuinely scary and grisly in spots despite the PG; best for older kids.

Gremlins runs 106 minutes, directed by Joe Dante, released in 1984.

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