Since the mid-80s, the PG rating has been mostly exclusive to films aimed at kids, and even though there have been releases that pushed its boundaries, they’re few and far between. However, for a long time, this wasn’t the case, as before the PG-13 rating was introduced, films were either rated PG or R, with the latter only being reserved for extreme cases, such as Evil Dead.
This flawed system would finally undergo a massive change, thanks to Steven Spielberg and his blockbusters, especially Gremlins, which too earned a PG rating upon its release. But had the creators stuck to the initial draft of Chris Columbus, the horror would’ve definitely been given the same treatment as that of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead.
Gremlins’ Original Draft Would’ve Warranted an R-Rating
After Steven Spielberg’s Jaws hit the theatres with a PG rating, the director was criticized, as it wasn’t exactly kids-appropriate, and highlighted the issue with the rating system. But it wasn’t until 1984 when Spielberg would suggest the Motion Picture Association to implement a new rating system, as films, including Temple of Doom and Gremlins, were released under the PG banner.
Although the Spielberg-produced Gremlins was too much for PG and a PG-13 rating would’ve suited it better, had the original vision of Chris Columbus been entertained, it would’ve earned itself the R rating. Columbus, who took inspiration from mice in his apartment for the horrific monsters, originally intended the film to be a lot darker.
While in the film, Lynn engages in a fight with the Gremlins and ends up winning by shoving one of them in a blender and the other in a microwave, the initial draft would’ve seen them being decapitated. The gory details don’t stop there, as Columbus also penned a scene, which sees Billy and Kate walk into a McDonald’s, in which “all of the people are half eaten, but the burgers are untouched”.
Moreover, Columbus originally intended a darker fate for the film’s cute protagonist Gizmo, who would’ve transformed into the film’s scariest gremlin, Stripe, but Steven Spielberg canned this idea.
Steven Spielberg’s Gremlins Finally Led to the PG-13 Rating Being Introduced
Even though leaving these details out did earn Gremlins a PG rating, which boosted its box office total to $152M, parents were certainly not happy about their kids being exposed to it. And it’s not unreasonable to see why, as the trailers made the Joe Dante-led film like a perfect Christmas flick for the family, which it certainly wasn’t.
This eventually kickstarted the discussion of the industry needing a new rating system, as the Jaws director understood parents’ concerns, and suggested a rating between PG and R. Thus, PG-13 was born, and the Spielberg-produced Red Dawn was the first film to release under this banner.
He recalled:
I said, ‘Let’s get a rating somewhere in between PG and R. Jack was proactive about it, completely agreed, and before I knew it there was a PG-13 rating.
While this rating system isn’t perfect and has come under scrutiny on several occasions over the years, looking back at how things were back then, it’s easy to see why this was essential.
Gremlins is available to stream on Max.
