I don't think you can ever be ahead of your time with cynicism about that subject. No, I don't think it was ahead of its time. I think it was very much a product of its time.

Aside from the Gremlins films Dante also worked with producer Steven Spielberg on comedy adventure Innerspace (1987) in which Dennis Quaid's character is miniaturised and injected inside a human body. Dante co-wrote and directed five scenes of the film when Arkush became ill. In his review for the Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum wrote "At the same time that Dante has a field day brutally satirizing our desire to scare ourselves and others he also re-creates early-60s clichés with a relish and a feeling for detail that come very close to love".

(born November 28 1946) is an American film director producer editor and actor. His films—notably Gremlins (1984)—often mix fantastical storylines with comedic elements. Joseph "Joe" Dante Jr.