Quotes

[in "Halliwell's Filmgoers and Video Viewers Companion", on producing movie trailers for Roger Corman] We did all kinds of things in trailers to help sell films. We had a famous exploding helicopter shot from one of those Filipino productions that we had cut in every time a trailer was too dull because that was always exciting.

[on Gremlins (1984)] What I like in movies especially are movies that do things that you can't do in real life and show you things that you can't see by walking out in the street. And there have been a lot of great movies that show you real life as it is lived and should be lived. But my favorite kind of movies are the ones that show you things that you can't see anywhere but in the movies. And this picture? Believe me, you will never see this stuff except in the movies.

[on the late Elisabeth Brooks] The Howling (1981) was her first major hit movie. Elisabeth brought to the role of Marsha Quist exactly what was needed. She was a beautiful and exotic woman and we will miss her.

A lot of people who are in the movie business don't really know much about movies, and they certainly don't know movie history. You have to even find a code when you're talking to these people - you can't use the references that you would use when talking to somebody who knows movie history. When you go in to pitch something, it depends what you invoke. You can't invoke anything really before 1980 with these people because they don't know what you're talking about. It's limiting. They get annoyed. They get offended that you are somehow trying to expose the fact that they don't know things, and make them feel inadequate. Which is of course not the point, or why you do it.

[on Phil Hartman, whom he directed in two films]: He was one of those guys who was a dream to work with. I don't know anybody who didn't like him.

[on Small Soldiers (1998)]: A lot of people called it Gremlins 2 and a Half.

"Gremlins 2" was a very rewarding movie to make. It's probably the most expressive of my personality.