Joseph James Dante Jr. (born November 28, 1946) is an American filmmaker, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably Gremlins (1984) alongside its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)—often mix the 1950s-style B movie genre with 1960s radicalism and cartoon comedy.
Dante's output includes the films Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Explorers (1985), Innerspace (1987), The 'Burbs (1989), Matinee (1993), Small Soldiers (1998), and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). His work for television and cable include the social satire The Second Civil War (1997), episodes of the anthology series Masters of Horror ("Homecoming" and "The Screwfly Solution") and Amazing Stories, as well as Police Squad! and Hawaii Five-0.
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Known For
The 'Burbs
(1989)
Director
The Howling
(1981)
Director
Gremlins
(1984)
Director
Twilight Zone: The Movie
(1983)
Director
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
(1990)
Director
Innerspace
(1987)
Director
Small Soldiers
(1998)
Director
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
(2003)
Director
Piranha
(1978)
Director
The Hole
(2009)
Director
Explorers
(1985)
Director
Burying the Ex
(2014)
Director
Nightmare Cinema
(2018)
Director
The Second Civil War
(1997)
Director
Matinee
(1993)
Director
Runaway Daughters
(1994)
Director
Full Filmography
Directing
The Movie Orgy
(1968)
Director
Hollywood Boulevard
(1976)
Director
Piranha
(1978)
Director
The Howling
(1981)
Director
Twilight Zone: The Movie
(1983)
Director
Gremlins
(1984)
Director
Explorers
(1985)
Director
Amazon Women on the Moon
(1987)
Director
Innerspace
(1987)
Director
The 'Burbs
(1989)
Director
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
(1990)
Director
Matinee
(1993)
Director
Runaway Daughters
(1994)
Director
Lightning
(1995)
Director
The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy
(1996)
Director
The Second Civil War
(1997)
Director
Small Soldiers
(1998)
Director
The Haunted Lighthouse
(2003)
Director
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
(2003)
Director
Homecoming
(2005)
Director
The Screwfly Solution
(2006)
Director
Trapped Ashes
(2006)
Director
The Hole
(2009)
Director
Splatter
(2009)
Director
Burying the Ex
(2014)
Director
Nightmare Cinema
(2018)
Director
Acting
Hollywood Boulevard
(1976)
Party Waiter (uncredited)
Cannonball
(1976)
Kid
Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel
(1978)
Self
Piranha
(1978)
Scuba Diver #2 (uncredited)
Making a Monster Movie: Inside 'the Howling'
(1981)
Self
Eating Raoul
(1982)
Busboy (uncredited)
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal
(1986)
Self
Innerspace
(1987)
Vectorscope Employee (uncredited)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
(1990)
Grandpa Fred Director (uncredited)
Oscar
(1991)
Face on the Cutting Room Floor
The Magical World of Chuck Jones
(1992)
Self
Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion
(1992)
Himself
Sleepwalkers
(1992)
Lab Assistant
A Century of Cinema
(1994)
Self
Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror
(1994)
Himself
The Silence of the Hams
(1994)
Dying Man
Beverly Hills Cop III
(1994)
Jailer
Hollywood Rated 'R'
(1997)
Self
She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
(1999)
Self / Host
Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre
(2000)
Self
Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation
(2000)
Self
It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures
(2001)
Self
Cinerama Adventure
(2002)
Self
Unleashing the Beast: Making ‘The Howling’
(2003)
Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen
(2004)
Self
Welcome to Werewolfland
(2004)
Männer im Trenchcoat, Frauen im Pelz
(2004)
Self
Mario Bava: Operazione paura
(2004)
Self
The Perfect Scary Movie
(2005)
Self
Behind the Tunes: Tish Tash - The Animated World of Frank Tashlin
(2005)
RKO Production 601: The Making of 'Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World'
(2005)
Self
Behind the Tunes: Looney Tunes Go to War!
(2005)
Self
Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy
(2005)
Behind the Tunes: Bosko, Buddy and the Best of Black and White
(2005)
Self
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
(2006)
Self
Lugosi: The Dark Prince
(2006)
Self
Karloff: The Gentle Monster
(2006)
Self
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
(2006)
Self
Hitchcocked!
(2006)
Self
The Hatching of Spider Baby
(2007)
Himself
Spider Stravinsky: The Cinema Sounds of Ronald Stein
(2007)
Himself
Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman
(2007)
Self
The Return of the Living Dead: The Decade of Darkness
(2007)
Self
Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story
(2007)
Self
Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX
(2008)
Self
Direct Your Own Damn Movie!
(2009)
Self
Coming Attractions: The History of the Movie Trailer
(2009)
Self
Monsterland
(2009)
Self
Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
(2009)
Self
Fulci in the House: The Italian Master of Splatter
(2009)
Himself
Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr.
(2010)
Self
The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry
(2010)
Himself
Machete Maidens Unleashed!
(2010)
Self
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
(2010)
Self
Corman's World
(2011)
Self - Filmmaker
Produce Your Own Damn Movie!
(2011)
Self
A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas!
(2011)
Self - Interviewee
American Grindhouse
(2011)
Himself
Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan
(2011)
Self
The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
(2012)
Self
The Butterfly Room
(2012)
Cab Driver
Trailer War
(2012)
Himself
To Be... A Film Favorite
(2012)
Blast Vegas
(2013)
Salesman #2
A Fuller Life
(2013)
Self - Reader (segment "Sicily Black and Blue")
House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before!
(2013)
Self
Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous: Making Gremlins
(2014)
Self
From Gizmo to Gremlins: Creating the Creatures
(2014)
Self
We Come In Pieces: The Rebirth of the Horror Anthology Film
(2014)
Self
Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror
(2014)
Self - Director
That Guy Dick Miller
(2014)
Himself
Out of Print
(2014)
Self
There Goes the Neighbourhood: The Making of The 'Burbs
(2014)
Himself
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
(2015)
Himself
Tales of Halloween
(2015)
Prof. Milo Gottlieb
42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Street
(2015)
Himself
24×36
(2016)
Self
Unspeakable Horrors: The Plan 9 Conspiracy
(2016)
Himself
Long Live the King
(2016)
himself
Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur
(2017)
Self
The Fear is Real
(2018)
Self
Sad Hill Unearthed
(2018)
Self - Filmmaker
Hammer Horror: The Warner Bros. Years
(2018)
Himself
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen
(2018)
Self
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film
(2019)
Himself
Love, Antosha
(2019)
Self
Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters
(2019)
Self
Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf
(2019)
Self
Class of '79: 40 Years of Rock 'N' Roll High School
(2019)
In Search of Darkness
(2019)
Self
Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness
(2020)
Host
Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi
(2020)
Host
Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies
(2020)
Self
Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and Camp
(2020)
Host
Bugs Bunny's 80th What's Up, Doc-umentary!
(2020)
Self (archive footage)
In Search of Darkness: Part II
(2020)
Self
Tales of the Uncanny
(2020)
Self
Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema
(2021)
Self
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster
(2021)
Self
Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida
(2021)
Self [archival]
In Search of Tomorrow
(2022)
Self - Interviewee
Razzennest
(2022)
Joe Dante
In Search of Darkness: Part III
(2022)
Self
Soylent Green and Red Alert: When Reality Catches Up with Fiction
(2022)
Self
Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story
(2022)
Self - Interviewee
The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee
(2023)
Self
Sharksploitation
(2024)
Self
Editing
The Movie Orgy
(1968)
Editor
The Arena
(1974)
Editor
Hollywood Boulevard
(1976)
Editor
Grand Theft Auto
(1977)
Editor
Piranha
(1978)
Editor
The Howling
(1981)
Editor
Writing
Production
Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror
(1994)
Associate Producer
The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy
(1996)
Producer
Trail of Blood
(2011)
Producer
Trafficked
(2017)
Executive Producer
Camp Cold Brook
(2018)
Executive Producer
Crew