The 3.5 Hour Director's Cut of George A. Romero's Vampire Film MARTIN Has Been Found

Until today, I had no idea that there was a three-and-a-half hour Director’s Cut of George A. Romero‘s 1977 vampire horror movie Martin. Well, it does exist. It was thought to have been lost, but now it’s been found! The movie centers on a man who believes that he’s a vampire.

The original cut of the film is in the process of going through a 4K restoration and is “nearing completion.” The film is being restored by UK’s Second Sight Films, and a physical 4K Ultra HD release is coming sometime in early 2022.

As for the Director’s Cut, there’s no word on when or if it will ever be released to the public. It’d certainly be a shame if it wasn’t restored and released!

Ronald Gorewood shared the news on Facebook and explained that this director’s cut of the film was Romero’s preferred version. “I simply can’t say enough about the efforts of KEVIN KRIESS and THE LIVING DEAD MUSEUM in locating the seldom (if ever) seen, black and white, 16mm version of MARTIN. This ‘Director’s Cut’ of some three and a half hours in length was always Romero’s preferred version. May it soon return safely to the custody of Richard Rubinstein and Braddock Associates for digital revitalization and distribution to the world.”

I should explain that “Ronald Gorewood” is an alias for the film’s director of photography, Michael Gornick. Hopefully, one day the Director’s Cut is released because I’d love to see it. The original cut of the film is 97 minutes long, so there’s a ton of footage that Romero fans would love to see!

Martin was released one year prior to Dawn of the Dead, and the story was, “A young man (John Amplas), who believes himself to be a vampire, goes to live with his elderly and hostile cousin in a small Pennsylvania town where he tries to redeem his blood-craving urges.”