Piranha (1978)
Dec 26, 2000Killer Fish
The second film from Joe Dante. Mounted as a quickie copy of Jaws by producer Roger Corman, Dante succeeds in peppering it with a lot of sly jokes and genre in-references
Joe Dante
The Howling (1981)
May 24, 2013Werewolves/Genre Spoof
The film that made the name of Joe Dante who fills it with a barrage of werewolf movie references and in-jokes. The film's reputation rests on an amazing mid-film effects sequence where a man transforms into a wolf
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Dec 16, 2000Fantasy Anthology/TV Series Remake
Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, John Landis and George Miller came together to make this film homage to Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. The episodes are variable but the standout is Miller's Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
Gremlins (1984)
Feb 16, 2000Malicious Creatures
The film about malicious creatures that was the runaway box-office hit of 1984. Director Joe Dante runs amok like a schoolboy with a chemistry kit and gleefully trashes the wholesome innocence of producer Steven Spielberg's E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial
Explorers (1985)
Jan 18, 2001Teenagers Build Spaceship
Joe Dante's successor to Gremlins and a box-office flop. This nevertheless evokes a genteel sense of wonder in its story with Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix as teen inventors who build a backyard spaceship
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
Jun 1, 1999Anthology of Comedy Skits & Genre Parodies
An anthology of comedy skits from several different directors including Joe Dante and John Landis. The result is fairly scattershot with moments of occasional humour falling between laughs that do not come off
Innerspace (1987)
Nov 3, 2003Fantastic Voyage Spoof
Joe Dante pays homage to Fantastic Voyage, the classic film about a submarine journey through the human body. Here though Dante plays it as a screwball comedy but his in-joke heavy style failed to catch on with audiences
The ‘Burbs (1989)
Jan 3, 2000Suburban Paranoia Black Comedy
Joe Dante black comedy about a neighbourhood where everybody becomes paranoid about the weird new people moved in. The film's bite gets lots amid everything being pitched at a clumsily shrill level of hysteria
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Dec 6, 2002Malicious Creatures
A far less successful sequel to the mega-hit of Gremlins where director Joe Dante brings the gremlins to Manhattan and allows the silliness to go completely over-the-top and into orbit, even breaking the fourth wall
Matinee (1993)
May 23, 2003B-Movie Homage/Genre Fandom Childhood
Joe Dante film set during the Cuban Missile Crisis about a childhood in B movie fandom and with John Goodman paying homage to filmmaker William Castle
Small Soldiers (1998)
Nov 5, 1999War Between Toys
Joe Dante had great success in the 1980s but his star started to pale into the 90s. Here he has resorted to a rehash of his biggest hit Gremlins, seemingly conceptually slung together with Toy Storyconcerning an army of malevolent toy soldiers come to life
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
Dec 16, 2003Toon Adventures
Joe Dante makes a toon film winding in dozens of cameos from Warner Brothers cartoon characters. The results prove enormously playful and creative
The Hole (2009)
Feb 21, 2018Kids Open a Portal/Young Adult Horror
One of the less known films of Joe Dante. A 3D work that just predates Avatar, it is a YA horror story in the vein of The Goonies or Dante's own Explorers crafted with care and an affection for the characters
Burying the Ex (2014)
Sep 7, 2015Zombie Ex-Girlfriend Comedy
Joe Dante makes a zombie comedy. Dante is in his element and the film overspills with classic horror references but Dante feels like he is playing slow catch up with what the zombie genre has become
Nightmare Cinema (2018)
Sep 13, 2019Horror Anthology
Another in the recent trend of horror anthologies featuring episodes from different directors, including Joe Dante and Mick Garris. This is a well above average entry on the whole featuring at least a couple of standout entries