Few days left before Christmas and it seemed right to offer you this virtual tour during this particular period of the year. After analyzing the locations of Universal Studio used in "Back to the Future" and the TV series "Knight Rider" and "Street Hawk", today I will compare the same locations with a typical Christmas movie, shot more or less the same time of "Back to future": "Gremlins". Happy reading and I recommend you... be careful... Don't get them wet; don't expose to bright light... and don't ever feed them after midnight!

   In the image above you can see a glimpse of Hill Valley (in 1955) where on the right there is the building of the Courthouse and in the background a row of buildings, which we now know quite well. In the image below, taken from the intro of "Gremlins", you can see the same square in a Christmas setting. It can be seen also as a panel has been added in the background to create more depth to the city.

   In "Back to the Future" the white building was a XXX-movie theater (in 1985), while in "Gremlins" is a toy store, positioned in front of the resale of Christmas trees. We can recognize perfectly the series of arches and the bow window on the left side of the building.

   Another point of view of the same building: in the first frame the builsing has been used as a theatre in "Back to the Future 2", while in the second image it has been used as a toy store. For "Gremlins" the arches were closed with panels fitted with windows.

   Last point of view for the building used as a cinema and toys store. On its left you can see another building: in "Back to the Future" (1985) appears to be painted blue, while in "Gremlins" is to have a brown facade.

   In the first image, from "Back to the Future," Marty moves away from the square aboard his skateboard: in the background you can see the facade of the Courthouse with the particular columns and windows with triangle covers. In the second image, from "Gremlins", a group of children running to catch the bus in front of the Courthouse. You can see the same architectural elements.

   In the first image, Marty back in 1985 and with the DeLorean goes against the theatre "Town" destroying part of the entrance. Even in "Gremlins" this building is a cinema, but there is a particular thing on the signboard: the name of the film on show is "A Boy's Life: Watch the Skies". This is a reference to "E.T.", which was either in filming at the time, or recently released; anyway, this was the working title for "E.T.".

   Moving slightly to the left, the building that appears in "Back to the Future" it was occupied by the Toyota stand (1985). In "Gremlins" the same building is used as a paint store next to the supermarket where at the end of the movie the last bad Gremlins will take refuge and will be killed by the main characters. Here we can see Billy, who along with his dog Barney, walks in front of a series of buildings on the side of the main square.

   Continuing his walk, Billy passes in front of some shops (a drugstore, a supermarket, etc.) and to a building with an entrance with an arc shape. If you remember well, the same arc (and of course the rest of the buildings) can be seen in "Back to the Future" when Marty walk with Jennifer after school.

   Still following the path of Billy, you can meet other buildings where you may notice several common characteristics, such as the small shed, used in "Gremlins" as Burger King shop and as a library for adults in "Back to the Future" (1985).

   Billy goes running to the bank and passes in front of some buildings, including precisely the one characterized by a little roof (Burger King) and a bow window. Even from this angle it is clear that the buildings used in the two movies are the same, only with various color and with different signs and brands.

   Another angle where you can see the same bow window above the barber shop in the movie "Gremlins". Even from this images, it is clear that the only substantial difference is the color used to paint the facades of the buildings.

   In the following two images, you can see the building that in "Back to the Future" was used as Lou's cafè (1955). As you can see in the second image, the same building was also used in "Gremlins" but in this case was used as the bank where Billy works. In this case the changes in terms of aesthetics have been much higher, by applying a projecting roof and closing the large windows on either side.

   In the next picture you can see the buildings on the side of the square from another point of view, from inside the bank where Billy works. The same set of buildings (with the exact same profile) can be seen in "Back to the Future" when Marty arrives for the first time in 1955.

   From this angle you can see the building used as a gym (in 1985) in the movie "Back to the Future". In the second picture you can see the entrance of the same building as the bank set up in the movie "Gremlins".

   Let's go back to analyze the theatre "Town" at the bottom of the road near the main square. The building structure is virtually identical in both movies, but unlike the "Back to the Future", in "Gremlins" the cinema has no longer the sign "Town".

   During the escape, the Billy's car stops in front at the barber shop, above which there is the characteristic bow window already described in some previous pictures. The same building can be seen in "Back to the Future" when Marty launches the DeLorean towards the cable that it will soon be hit by lightning.

   The same road seen in the first frame from the DeLorean that runs at full speed toward the cable connected to the clock tower and in the second frame behind the two protagonists, Billy and Kate, looking dazed confusion generated by bad gremlins.

   In the first image from "Back to the Future", Marty after returning in 1985, moves the DeLorean to the main square. In the second image from "Gremlins", Billy and Kate run to the cinemas after realizing that the bad gremlins have taken refuge there.

   Last shot of the buildings on the side of the main square: in the first image the buildings are framed during the run of the DeLorean to the cable connected to the clock tower; in the second image they are framed from the car of Billy's dad.