Joe Dante
- Known for
- Directing
- Born
- 28 November 1946 · Morristown, New Jersey, USA
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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joe Dante, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known for
Production 7
- 2027Gremlins 3 · producer
- 2026The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes · producer
- 2018Camp Cold Brook · executive producer
- 2017Trafficked · executive producer
- 2011Trail of Blood · producer
- 1996The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy · producer
- 1994Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror · associate producer
Directing 33
- 2027Gremlins 3 · director
- 2026Labrintus · director
- 2026The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes · director
- 2026Fear Paris · director
- 2025Little Shop of Halloween Horrors · director
- 2018Nightmare Cinema · director
- 2014Burying the Ex · director
- 2009Splatter · director
- 2009The Hole · director
- 2006The Screwfly Solution · director
- 2006Trapped Ashes · director
- 2005Homecoming · director
- 2003Looney Tunes: Back in Action · director
- 2003Haunted Lighthouse 4-D · director
- 1998Small Soldiers · director
- 1997The Second Civil War · director
- 1996The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy · director
- 1995Picture Windows: Lightning · director
- 1994Runaway Daughters · director
- 1994The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - Preshow · director
- 1993Mant! · director
- 1993Matinee · director
- 1990Gremlins 2: The New Batch · director
- 1989The 'Burbs · director
- 1987Amazon Women on the Moon · director
- 1987Innerspace · director
- 1985Explorers · director
- 1984Gremlins · director
- 1983Twilight Zone: The Movie · director
- 1981The Howling · director
- 1978Piranha · director
- 1976Hollywood Boulevard · director
- 1968The Movie Orgy · director
Acting 136
- 2026The AckerMonster Chronicles!
- 2026Mary Woronov: Cult Queen as Self
- 2026Mamie Exposed! The Life and Loves of the Last Blonde Bombshell
- 2026Boorman and the Devil as Self
- 2026Gremlins, an american nightmare! as Himself
- 2026Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern
- 2026Shrinkage: The Making of Innerspace as Self
- 2025The Creeps as Uncle John
- 2025The Vincent Price Legacy as Himself
- 2025The Reality Trip as self
- 2024Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters as Self
- 2024Sharksploitation as Self
- 2024Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director as Himself
- 2024The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee as Self
- 2022In Search of Darkness: Part III as Self
- 2022Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story as Self - Interviewee
- 2022Razzennest as Joe Dante
- 2022Soylent Green and Red Alert: When Reality Catches Up with Fiction as Self
- 2022In Search of Tomorrow as Self - Interviewee
- 2021Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida as Self [archival]
- 2021Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster as Self
- 2021Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema as Self
- 2020Bugs Bunny's 80th What's Up, Doc-umentary! as Self (archive footage)
- 2020Tales of the Uncanny as Self
- 2020In Search of Darkness: Part II as Self
- 2020Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies as Self
- 2020Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and Camp as Host
- 2020Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi as Host
- 2020Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness as Host
- 2019Class of '79: 40 Years of Rock 'N' Roll High School
- 2019Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf as Self
- 2019Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters as Self
- 2019Love, Antosha as Self
- 2019In Search of Darkness as Self
- 2019Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film as Self
- 2018Sad Hill Unearthed as Self - Filmmaker
- 2018The Fear Is Real as Self
- 2018King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen as Self
- 2018Hammer Horror: The Warner Bros. Years as Self
- 2017Monstres, l'ennemi de l'intérieur as Self
- 2016Long Live the King as himself
- 201624×36 as Self
- 2016Unspeakable Horrors: The Plan 9 Conspiracy as Himself
- 2015Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex as Self
- 2015Tales of Halloween as Prof. Milo Gottlieb
- 201542nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Street as Self
- 2015Eaten Alive! The Rise and Fall of the Italian Cannibal Film
- 2015Gravity: Looking to the Stars - The Evolution of Space Films as Self
- 2014Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous: Making Gremlins as Self
- 2014From Gizmo to Gremlins: Creating the Creatures as Self
- 2014There Goes the Neighborhood: The Making of The 'Burbs as Self
- 2014Out of Print as Self
- 2014Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror as Self - Director
- 2014We Come In Pieces: The Rebirth of the Horror Anthology Film as Self
- 2014That Guy Dick Miller as Self
- 2013House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before! as Self
- 2013A Fuller Life as Self - Reader (segment "Sicily Black and Blue")
- 2013Blast Vegas as Salesman #2
- 2012Trailer War as Himself
- 2012The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie as Self
- 2012Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan as Self
- 2012The Butterfly Room as Cab Driver
- 2012The Flesh and the Fury: X-posing Twins of Evil as Self - Director
- 2012To Be... A Film Favorite
- 2011Corman's World as Self - Filmmaker
- 2011A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas! as Self - Interviewee
- 2011The Future of Fear as Self
- 2011Produce Your Own Damn Movie! as Self
- 2011American Grindhouse as Himself
- 2010The Bloodiest Show on Earth: Making Vampire Circus as Self
- 2010Machete Maidens Unleashed! as Self
- 2010The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry as Self
- 2010RKO, A Story made in Hollywood as Himself
- 2010Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr. as Self
- 2010The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth as Self
- 2009Nightmares in Red, White and Blue as Self
- 2009Fulci in the House: The Italian Master of Splatter as Self
- 2009Direct Your Own Damn Movie! as Self
- 2009Monsterland as Self
- 2009Coming Attractions: The History of the Movie Trailer as Self
- 2008RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World” as Self
- 2008Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX as Self
- 2007Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story as Self
- 2007Spider Stravinsky: The Cinema Sounds of Ronald Stein as Himself
- 2007The Return of the Living Dead: The Decade of Darkness as Self
- 2007Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman as Self
- 2007The Hatching of Spider Baby as Himself
- 2006Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet as Self
- 2006Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon as Self
- 2006Lugosi: The Dark Prince as Self
- 2006Hitchcocked! as Self
- 2006Karloff: The Gentle Monster as Self
- 2005The Perfect Scary Movie as Self
- 2005Behind the Tunes: Bosko, Buddy and the Best of Black and White as Himself
- 2005Behind the Tunes: Tish Tash - The Animated World of Frank Tashlin as Himself
- 2005Behind the Tunes: Looney Tunes Go to War! as Himself
- 2005Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy
- 2005Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection as Self
- 2004Männer im Trenchcoat, Frauen im Pelz as Self
- 2004The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing as Self
- 2004Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen as Self
- 2004The Art of Crime as Himself
- 2004Mario Bava: Operazione paura as Self / Host
- 2004Il castello dell'orrore as self
- 2004Welcome to Werewolfland
- 2003Unleashing the Beast: Making ‘The Howling’
- 2002Cinerama Adventure as Self
- 2001Making The Earth Stand Still as Self
- 2001It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures as Self
- 2000Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation as Self
- 2000Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre as Self
- 1999Ray Harryhausen: Working with Dinosaurs as Self
- 1999She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein' as Self / Host
- 1997Hollywood Rated 'R' as Self
- 1994Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror as Self
- 1994Beverly Hills Cop III as Jailer
- 1994The Silence of the Hams as Dying Man
- 1994A Century of Cinema as Self
- 1992The Magical World of Chuck Jones as Self
- 1992Sleepwalkers as Lab Assistant
- 1992Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion as Himself
- 1991The Horror Hall of Fame II as Self
- 1991Oscar as Face on the Cutting Room Floor
- 1991Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy as Self
- 1990Gremlins 2: The New Batch as Grandpa Fred Director (uncredited)
- 1987Innerspace as Vectorscope Employee (uncredited)
- 1986The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal as Self
- 1984Gremlins as Mogwai / Gremlins (voice) (uncredited)
- 1982Eating Raoul as Busboy (uncredited)
- 1981Making a Monster Movie: Inside 'the Howling' as Self
- 1979The Orson Welles Show as Member of Studio Audience
- 1978Piranha as Scuba Diver #2 (uncredited)
- 1978Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel as Self
- 1976Cannonball as Kid
- 1976Hollywood Boulevard as Party Waiter (uncredited)
- 1975Tidal Wave
crew 2
- 2011Corman's World · thanks
- 2010Embryo · thanks
Writing 2
- 1991Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever · characters
- 1979Rock 'n' Roll High School · story
Editing 6
- 1981The Howling · editor
- 1978Piranha · editor
- 1977Grand Theft Auto · editor
- 1976Hollywood Boulevard · editor
- 1974The Arena · editor
- 1968The Movie Orgy · editor