Chris Columbus shares dark secrets of Gremlins 40 years after release

Chris Columbus has shared dark secrets of his hit film Gremlins - 40 years after it was first released.

The Harry Potter director wrote the smash hit festive film that sees an American town terrorised by creepy green monsters in the run-up to Christmas.

And while the Gremlins commit murder as well as mayhem, it seems the original draft of the film had far more carnage and chaos.

Speaking to Vanity Fair about his early script, Columbus revealed, "I think the dad (played by Hoyt Axton) stayed behind and fought the Gremlins - I don't quite remember if he survived.

"The mom (played by Frances Lee McCain) certainly didn't. Billy ran into the foyer of his house, and his mom's head came rolling down the stairs."

Revealing more grisly details, he continued, "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 (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. Honestly, that stuff is in my DNA."

The 1984 film was directed by Joe Dante and produced by Steven Spielberg - and Columbus explained that his peers convinced him to tone down the violence.

He confessed, "I felt that, at the time: 'Who am I?' I certainly did not have enough ego or experience to tell Spielberg, 'Oh, you're wrong. We need to make it as violent as possible.' He was absolutely right."