A lost copy ofGeorge A. Romero’s black and white director’s cut ofMartinhas been located byMichael Gornick, Director of Photography of the feature. The news comes from Ronald Gorewood’sFacebook page, an alias used by Gornick himself.
In his original post, Gornick thanksKevin Kriess, owner and curator of The Living Dead Museum, for “locating the seldom (if ever) seen, black and white, 16mm version ofMartin.” Gornick also explains how the three reels found by Kriess contain a director’s cut with about three and a half hours in length that “was always Romero’s preferred version.” Considering thatMartin’s original theatrical release only ran for 95 minutes and was exhibited in colors, the director’s cut might offer an entirely new experience to fans of Romero.
The Facebook post also tells fans thatMartin’s lost director’s cut will be delivered to producerRichard Rubinsteinand Braddock Associates for restoration and distribution. Rubinstein worked with Romero in several of his films, including 1978’sDawn of the Deadand the 1980s horror anthologyTales from the Darkside. So, the restoration of the lost cut ofMartinis in good hands, and it shouldn’t take long before we’re able to watch it ourselves.
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Initially released in 1977,Martinfollows the titular 17-years-old boy (John Amplas), who’s fascinated by blood and convinced he’s an 84-years-old vampire. The boy moves to a small town in Pennsylvania, where he tries to control his urges.The original film is getting a 4K restoration by Second Sightin late summer, making the finding of the director’s cut perfectly timed.
It has been an excellent year for fans of Romero. First, the filmmaker’spreviously-lostThe Amusement Parkwas fully restoredand became part of the horror streaming platform Shudder catalog.
Second,Night of the Animated Dead, an animated remake of 1968’s classicNight of the Living Dead, is now available on digital, Blu-Ray, and DVD. Lastly, an unofficial sequel to Romero’sDeadseries of films,Night of the Living Dead 2, isbringing backLori Cardille,Terry Alexander, andJarlath Conroy, three survivors fromDay of the Dead.
It’s still too soon to know when the director’s cut ofMartinwill be available to the public, but you’re able to expect to read about the restoration right here at Collider.
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