Retro movies have become all the rage in recent years, triggering further dives into the classics. Writer Chris Columbus conducted one of his own during an interview with Vanity Fair.
While answering questions about Gremlins (1984), Columbus made the intriguing reveal that the adorable creature feature was supposed to be gory. Apparently, heads rolled in Steven Spielberg's first script before the writing team made some adjustments. Columbus mentioned that Billy's mom gets decapitated, and one of the camera shots was of her head rumbling down the stairs. They also planned to kill the dog. He didn't divulge many details, but the gremlins hang Barney the dog up in Christmas lights. You can piece together that the dog didn't survive.
One may ask why those scenes didn't make it into the film, and there are a couple of reasons. For one, Warner Bros. wouldn't be able to pitch a project where the nuclear family gets massacred. Now, that action would be acceptable in a straightforward horror movie, but the cute and cuddly aspect of Gremlins wouldn't blend with a visceral theme. There were deaths in it, just not on the scale intended, meaning a decapitated housewife couldn't make the cut.
Secondly, extremely violent movies didn't appeal to general audiences back then. Horror films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had their own niche demographic, but they couldn't reach a wide enough audience—the way Warner Bros intended for Gremlins to appeal to the masses. That's changed since, but back then, the situation was different.
So, when decision time came, the bloodier scenes probably got cut quickly since there wasn't a massive demand for that type of onscreen action. Their deaths weren't integral to the plot either. By that point in the film, the Gremlins have caused enough havoc that everyone knows the situation. Killing off Billy's family members would've simply been overkill.
Moviegoers may ask for proof of Warner Bros. toning down the mature themes in Gremlins, which is perfect timing. WB recently released Gremlins: The Wild Batch, an animated continuation on the MAX streaming service. It's loyal to the source material but very clearly catered to youths instead of horror fans. There isn't as much death, and even the enraged Gizmo doesn't allow his anger to get the better of him. Audiences saw how quickly the Gremlins flipped out in the movies, so Gizmo's show of restraint suggests that the violence factor is less prominent this time around.
Anyone hoping for the franchise to return to its roots will be unfortunately disappointed. The Wild Batch is going strong in its second season, which means a return to grittier live-action movies won't happen in the foreseeable future.
Gremlins: The Wild Batch is currently streaming on Max.