There is a remote and lesser-known connection between the movies “Back To The Future” by Robert Zemeckis and the Christmas creature feature “Gremlins” by Joe Dante. Both are iconic movies that were the mainstay of the cinematic world in the ’80s. The storylines were fantastic, though one was more terrifying than the other. Steven Spielberg produced both the movies, and they were released a year from each other. These movies by Universal studios are box office hits and extraordinary examples of their genre. They are in the must-watch list of their respective genres and are still well-received and well-remembered even after many decades.
There is a hidden connection between the two movies that is a well-kept secret, even after many decades. If this particular component were to be removed, the storyline would probably not remain the same. It is not a character or lines or quotes by the characters. Instead, it is an obvious yet unnoticed thing that is right there to see but has escaped everyone. Any guesses? Anyone?
The Connection Between Gremlins and Back To The Future Is :
The two movies share a town. What we mean to say is that Universal Studios recycled the movie set. In the film “Back To The Future,” the location of the town of Hill Valley was as crucial as the main characters- Biff Tannen or Marty McFly. The broken and unique clock tower and the local diner are the essential landmarks in this memorable movie. Unfortunately, the Gremlins overtook this very town before “Back to The Future” happened.
The Reason:
Recycling a movie set makes sense, as constructing them is an expensive and time-consuming task. In their heydays, big studios and film companies built and maintained basic stock sceneries such as a city street, a western town, etc. So why recreate a set when it was already available? This is exactly what happened with “Gremlins” and “Back to The Future,” explains Mental Floss.
They built the set for “Gremlins,” the quiet town of Kingston Falls, in 1984 on the Universal Studios lot. It was a snow-dusted town overtaken by the little monsters in “Gremlins”. It was eventually changed to the famous town of Hill Valley for “Back To The Future,” which was released a year later.
Some of the residents also stayed on. Frances Lee McCain played the roles of Marty’s grandmother, Stella Baines in “Back To The Future,” and Billy’s mother, Lynn Peltzer in “Gremlins”. It’s not cheap. Just think of it as intelligent and thrifty. Most small towns do look the same, after all!
