Gremlins is a 1984 movie that blurs the lines between comedy, horror, fantasy, and sci-fi. The story focuses on a collection of small mischievous creatures who wreak havoc at Christmastime.
The movie was primarily filmed at three different Hollywood studios. Thanks to some great editing, you’d never realize that the action is constantly switching between locations.
Universal Studios
The downtown area of Kingston Falls, Pennsylvania, was filmed at Courthouse Square on Universal Studio’s backlot. While this area is now famous for the Clock Tower from Back To The Future, it’s actually been around since the 1940s.
The surrounding facades were dressed for the various businesses needed in the movie, including a Burger King. Sadly, most of this area has burnt down twice since Gremlins was filmed. While the courthouse itself was saved, almost all the the other backlot buildings were lost and have been rebuilt.
If you’d like to see the Universal Studios lot, you can visit the theme park. Included in your admission is a tram tour of the backlot. The tram doesn’t let you off, so you’d see it from the moving vehicle. If you’d like to see it more intimately, you can opt for the Universal VIP tour. This option includes a small group tour that lets you off in several spots to explore. It also gives you front-of-the-line access to all the theme park’s rides and shows. You can check out the details here.
Warner Bros Studios
Nearby at the Warner Bros Studios, various areas of the backlot were used. Warner Bros large backlots feature a variety of settings, which allowed the producers to use it for a number of scenes. If you want to see the backlots for yourself, you can book one of the tours offered.
The story starts out on Hennessy Street, where Randall Peltzer is in Chinatown, looking for a unique Christmas gift for his son. He comes across Mr. Wing’s shop and first lays eyes on the Mogwai. Despite Mr. Wing’s refusal, his grandson ends up selling it to Randall.
Warner Bros’ Kings Row is also seen in the movie, with the characters walking along this stretch several times. One big scene is when Mrs. Deagle gets launched out of her house and flies across the street. Her house is more well known as the Seaver house from Growing Pains. She then lands in front of the house across the street. Other houses along this stretch have been used in Friends and Gilmore Girls.
On Midwestern Street, the church also makes an appearance in Gremlins.
Warner Bros Ranch
The Warner Bros Ranch, a separate facility from their main lot, was also used for several locations. The Peltzer House was located here, on Blondie Street. This was the main house of the family featured in Gremlins. The swimming pool scenes were also filmed at the Ranch. The pool was an outdoor pool, but they made it appear to be indoors by adding fake walls around it.
Unfortunately in 2024 the entire studio was bulldozed to build soundstages. This means all these historic locations were lost, surviving only on film. Visiting the gate and peeking in was the closest I ever got to visiting the lot.
