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Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins (1984) poster

Gremlins (1984)

Fantasy, Horror, Comedy • 1h 46m

Director: Joe Dante

Best English-friendly & video release

Updated 5 months ago


Best audio release

UHD tiers


About the film

When Billy Peltzer is given a strange but adorable pet named Gizmo for Christmas, he inadvertently breaks the three important rules of caring for a Mogwai, unleashing a horde of mischievous gremlins on a small town.

Alternative Titles
Gremlins I

More from Joe Dante

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Director: Joe Dante

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

MCA 1989 LaserDisc or Universal 1999 NTSC DVD

Director: Joe Dante

4K · Excellent

Director: Joe Dante

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray; caps

Audio Notes:

Arrow includes the original 70mm 6-track mix in a discrete form (4.1), as well as the matrixed 35mm Dolby Stereo mix (2.0), both from new transfers. The German Blu-ray uses an earlier transfer dating back to the LaserDisc for the stereo. Both sound good.

Arrow includes a 7.1 Atmos remix, whereas earlier releases include a 5.1 remix.

Director: Joe Dante

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Scream Factory US 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Scream Factory US 4K Blu-ray > StudioCanal UK for the inclusion of original mono, more extras

Best Audio:

Scream Factory US includes original mono

For the director/actor commentary, the 1995 Image Entertainment LaserDisc is uncut, subsequent releases are cut

Director: Joe Dante

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

Director: Joe Dante

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray

Director: Joe Dante

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

More from Warner Bros

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Director: Steve Gordon

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

An undeniably significant improvement from the BD yet still severely flawed. See DFIC's review.

Best Audio:

1984 MGM Hi-Fi VHS

Director: Frank Darabont

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2021 WB 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

2008 US Blu-ray 5.1

Audio Notes:

(the 2021 4K's 5.1 was flawed, with unnecessary bad tweaking)

Director: Sam Peckinpah

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion Blu-ray or WB DVD depending on the cut.

Best Video:

First Preview (Turner): Germany Plaion Blu-ray

Second Preview (Final Preview): Germany Plaion Blu-ray

Theatrical: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

2005 Cut: WB DVD

2024 Cut: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack & Merian C. Cooper

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Director: Orson Welles

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · blah-ray.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

WB Europe 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

WB Europe 4K Blu-ray slightly better encoding than Criterion (caveat: missing Criterion extras)

Director: Sylvester Stallone

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 2024 Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray/ Warner Bros 2023 Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray (replacement disc)

Additional Info:

All foreign language tracks were pitched too low, replacement disc and Ultimate Knockout Collection disc fixed the error. 

The Steelbook and UK standard edition are the same disc as the 2023 knockout collection. 

Director: Sylvester Stallone

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2024 Ultimate Knockout Collection Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray Box Set 

Video Notes:

2024 Ultimate Knockout Collection Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray Box Set > 2023 Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray

2023 disc has a brief moment where the aspect ratio changes from 1.85:1 to 1.78:1, 2024 release fixed the error

Additional Info:

Both cuts of the movie are on the same disc and don’t appear to be seamlessly branched. 

The Steelbook and UK standard edition are the same disc as the 2023 knockout collection.

Director: John G. Avildsen

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 2024 Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray/ Warner Bros 2023 Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray (replacement disc)

Upcoming Release:

Capelight 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Original Mono: Ultimate Knockout Collection/Knockout Collection replacement disc

Audio Notes:

Original Mono: Ultimate Knockout Collection/Knockout Collection replacement disc > Knockout collection original.

The Mono mix on the initial release of the Knockout Collection is a stereo fold-down of the 5.1, it also has a missing piano cue. The replacement disc and the ultimate knockout version fixed the error. 

Additional Info:

The Steelbook and UK standard edition is the same disc as the 2023 knockout collection.

Director: Sylvester Stallone

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 2024 Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray/ Warner Bros 2023 Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray (replacement disc)

Additional Info:

Original Knockout Collection release had its 5.1 mix pitched too low, replacement disc and Ultimate Knockout Collection fixed the error. 

The Steelbook and UK standard edition are the same disc as the 2023 knockout collection.

More Fantasy on Blu-ray

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Best English-Friendly & Video:

MGM Blu-ray

Director: George Pal

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Directors: David Hand & Ben Sharpsteen & William Cottrell & Larry Morey & Perce Pearce & Wilfred Jackson

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Mono track is on the included Blu-ray; 4K Blu-ray missing original mono. LaserDisc probably better

Director: Gary Ross

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray, but a shot was cut from the film

Warner Bros Blu-ray for the uncut version, but it's an older master.

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray, but a shot was cut from the film. See comparison

Warner Bros Blu-ray for the uncut version, but it's an older master.

Directors: Chris Appelhans & Maggie Kang

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

"Sing-Along Edition" not included on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray, only available on Netflix Streaming

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray also includes exclusive "Reborn Cut"

Director: Lam Nai-choi

Best English-Friendly & Video:

88 Films UK or Vinegar Syndrome US Blu-ray (preference)

Video Notes:

Different color gradings, 88 Films disc is encoded by FiM but Vinegar Syndrome encode (by Marcus Johnson) is more than robust

Audio Notes:

Vinegar Syndrome potentially has better audio than 88 Films, due to VinSyn possibly having EQ'd the audio mix after Fortune Star scanned the track in a way that makes it sound too hot, whereas 88 left it alone without addressing that issue. However, no direct comparisons exist

Director: Masaaki Yuasa

Best English-Friendly & Video:

US GKIDS Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Japan Aniplex Blu-ray is severely lowpassed, which is not an issue on the US release

Director: Guillermo del Toro

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Cineverse 4K Blu-ray announced with a new 4K restoration from the original negatives

Video Notes:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray both have issues, up to preference. UK Optimum/Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better, Criterion is worse

Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better encoded than the Optimum, is in the original 1.85 ratio, and has the original colors

Best Audio:

2011 Optimum Blu-ray has audio in wrong pitch, fixed in 2013 reissue in the Zavvi exclusive Steelbook. Criterion has correct 5.1 and a 7.1 mix.

Additional Info:

Criterion and Optimum Blu-rays have exclusive extras

Director: John Boorman

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Audio:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: highdefdiscnews.com (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Audio Notes:

(Arrow 4K Blu-ray's mono seems to be out of sync, suggested by comparisons. Issue is TBC officially)

Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray is FiM encoded, see caps

Additional Info:

Arrow LE will have an exclusive 3rd disc which will not be on the standard edition

Edit history

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Researched and maintained by

vanshadyJojoTheMovieOtterAdamA

· last reviewed 5 months ago

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