Gremlins
is as impressive today as it was when it was released in 1984, but the film could have been very different if producer Steven Spielberg
had not stepped in and changed the movie. Writer Chris Columbus
’ original script featured many more deaths than those seen in the festive favorite about a group of mischievous creatures that take over a small town over Christmas. While Spielberg was responsible for having many of them removed, both the producer and director Joe Dante fought Warner Bros. to ensure that one of the movie’s most tragic moments was not cut.
When watching Gremlins, it is sometimes hard to believe the film was made with the use of practical puppets in a time when CGI was just a pipe dream for the future. The impressive display of monstrous mayhem blows away many modern movies, and that is all down to the vision of both Dante and Spielberg. However, there were many changes made to the movie from the original plans by Spielberg, and it probably saved the movie by lowering the death count. Columbus recently recalled in an interview with Vanity Fair:
“I think the dad stayed behind and fought the Gremlins, I don’t quite remember if he survived. The mom certainly didn’t. Billy [played by Zach Galligan] ran into the foyer of his house, and his mom’s head came rolling down the stairs. So there were some deaths. And Barney the dog was not so lucky to just be hung up in the Christmas lights. He was actually hung up by his neck and died. We killed the dog! They ate him! Then they went into McDonald’s and ate the people—but not the food. We had a lot of things that didn’t make the final script.”
‘Gremlins’ Could Have Been an Outright Horror Movie
Although Columbus did not argue against the suggestions made by Spielberg in relation to the levels of violence and death in the movie – even though he wrote it as an all-out horror film – he admits that in the end the Oscar-winner knew best, especially when it came to one crucial change. He added:
“He was absolutely right. Gizmo turned into a gremlin on page 30 and did not remain [soft and cuddly] throughout the entire film. That was one of Steven’s best ideas—that Gizmo remained by Billy’s side. He knew this and I didn’t: The audience needed someone to relate to in terms of the gremlins, and that was Gizmo.”
However, there was one particular death that was not seen in the movie but heartbreakingly relayed by Phoebe Cates’ Kate that Columbus, Dante and Spielberg agreed had to remain in the final cut, despite reservations from the studio. Columbus added:
“We were plenty dark, as far as I’m concerned. We ended up with the story of Phoebe Cates’s father dying in the chimney, and the studio wanted to cut it. Steven and [director] Joe Dante and I fought for that. That was one thing I did fight for at the time.”
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Needless to say, Gremlins is still a popular holiday favorite now, thanks in the main, to the vision of Steven Spielberg, as without his changes, audiences would have been left with an R-rated movie that would probably have been lost to time rather than finding a place as a much-loved Christmas classic.
- Release Date
-
June 7, 1984
- Runtime
-
106 minutes
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