John Hora Owned Gremlins 2 Binder

storyboard binder containing many deleted scenes

Introduction

John Hora served as the cinematographer for the 1990 film Gremlins 2: The New Batch, reuniting with director Joe Dante to expand the visual world they first established in the 1984 original. Hora’s task this time was to bring the Gremlins to life in an even more stylized, energetic, and comedic way — a challenge he met with bold lighting, vibrant color palettes, and a playful cinematic sensibility.

When John Hora passed away in 2021, many of the artifacts from his long career as a cinematographer entered private collections. Among them was his personal Gremlins 2 storyboard binder — the very reference book he used to help shape the film’s visual language. We were fortunate enough to acquire this binder, a remarkable piece of filmmaking history that offers rare insight into Hora’s process and the careful planning behind some of the film’s most memorable imagery.

One of the most exciting aspects of a storyboard binder like this is the window it provides into the film that almost was. These boards document numerous sequences that were later altered, condensed, or removed entirely from the final cut. They reveal just how far many abandoned ideas progressed—some were fully boarded, others partially shot—before ultimately being trimmed in the editing room when they no longer served the narrative or pacing.

Among the most fascinating examples are the extensive storyboards for the expanded “Secretary Gremlin” attack, a wild sequence that reached a surprisingly advanced stage before being dropped from the finished film. The binder contains many such glimpses into alternate moments, giving us a rare look at the creative evolution of Gremlins 2 and the wealth of material that never reached audiences.