Four decades after charming audiences with its unique blend of horror and holiday cheer, Gremlins remains one of the most distinctive Christmas movies ever made. The film follows Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan), who receives an unusual Christmas gift, a mysterious creature called a Mogwai that comes with three vital rules: keep it away from bright light, don’t get it wet, and never feed it after midnight. When these rules are inevitably broken, Billy’s quiet town is overrun by destructive monsters. However, according to writer Chris Columbus, the version that made it to theaters was significantly tamer than his original vision, which included more gore, higher stakes, and a shocking twist for the lovable Gizmo.
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In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Columbus revealed several dark plot points that were cut from his initial script. “I think the dad stayed behind and fought the Gremlins, I don’t quite remember if he survived,” Columbus explained. “The mom certainly didn’t. Billy ran into the foyer of his house, and his mom’s head came rolling down the stairs. So there were some deaths.” This graphic scene would have dramatically altered the film’s tone, turning what became a family-friendly horror-comedy into something much more sinister.
The writer also detailed a grimmer fate for the Peltzer family dog, Barney. While the final cut shows Barney tangled in Christmas lights but ultimately surviving, the original script was far more brutal. “Barney, the dog, was not so lucky to just be hung up in the Christmas lights,” the writer explained. “He was actually hung up by his neck and died. We killed the dog!” Columbus also added, “They [the Gremlins] 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.”
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How Steven Spielberg Saved Gizmo and Shaped Gremlins‘ Legacy
Perhaps the most significant change from Columbus’s original vision involved Gizmo, the adorable Mogwai who became the franchise’s beloved mascot. The writer revealed that in his script, “Gizmo turned into a gremlin on page 30 and did not remain [soft and cuddly] throughout the entire film.” This drastic character shift was prevented by producer Steven Spielberg, who understood the narrative needed a sympathetic creature. “That was one of Steven’s best ideas—that Gizmo remained by Billy’s side,” Columbus admitted. “He knew this, and I didn’t: The audience needed someone to relate to in terms of the gremlins, and that was Gizmo.”
Columbus, who now serves as a producer on Nosferatu, reflected that his inexperience in the industry prevented him from pushing harder for his darker vision. “Honestly, that stuff is in my DNA, so it is a joy to come back to something like Nosferatu,” he shared. Still, while Gremlins is tamer than Columbus initially intended, the final cut wasn’t without its dark moments. The creative team successfully fought to keep one particularly grim element, Kate’s (Phoebe Cates) monologue about her father’s tragic Christmas death. “We were plenty dark, as far as I’m concerned,” Columbus said. “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.”
The changes ultimately proved beneficial, as Gremlins is a beloved holiday classic that perfectly balances horror elements with family-friendly entertainment. The film’s success spawned a franchise, including a sequel, TV shows, and various merchandise. In his turn, Gizmo became an iconic character who continues to captivate audiences forty years later.
Gremlins is currently available to stream on MAX.
