Beloved, but non-traditional Christmas movies such as Die Hard are always close to the top of any Outposter’s favorite festive cinematic treat list. Also pretty close to the top is the twisted riot that is Gremlins.
Writer Chris Columbus is now a producer on Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu and in a publicity interview for that movie with Vanity Fair (via Dark Horizons) he says originally it was more twisted, darker, and contained a lot more death.
The script featured some of Billy’s family dying, along with a lot more of the residents of the town.
“I think the dad stayed behind and fought the Gremlins, I don’t quite remember if he survived. The mom certainly didn’t. Billy [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. Honestly, that stuff is in my DNA, so it is a joy to come back to something like Nosferatu.”
He said executive producer Steven Spielberg did drive one change that was for the better:
“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.”
He also says Spielberg went into bat for them to keep the horrific tale of Phoebe Cates’s father dying in the chimney in the script.
Gremlins, and its sequel, remain on various streamers depending on where you are in the world.