It’s a version of a movie not seen since 1983. It wasn’t even supposed to still exist. But we can definitively tell you that yes, Virginia, there really is a 2.5-plus hour cut of Gremlins.
And, in its first-ever screening, a select few fans, who also happen to be leading the charge of the new generation of horror, got to see it Thursday night.
The audience initially had no idea what they were in for. The invite, “to watch a movie no one has ever seen,” was texted to select members of the horror community and was being presented by Verve and Scott Glassgold’s 1201 Films production banner. “You will never forgive yourself,” it read.
“It’s an archival screening, in a way,” is what Gremlins’ legendary director Joe Dante said, describing the evening and what was about to be shown. He cautioned that this was a rough version, filled with greasy pencil marks and missing scenes, and said he hoped the assembled crowd wouldn’t replace the finished film that has lived on in their heads with the imperfection about to be shows.
The crowd was a who’s who of today’s horror players: Final Destination: Bloodlines filmmakers (and Gremlins 3 writers) Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky, Drew Hancock (Companion), Rob Savage (The Boogeyman), Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Novocaine), Brian Duffield (Whalefall), Akela Cooper (M3GAN), Guy Busick (Ready or Not), Atomic Monster producer Michael Clear, Adam Robitel (Escape Room) and 20th Century Studios head Steve Asbell, among others.
All were there to see the curtain unveiled behind a monster movie that blended horror and comedy, helped bring about the PG-13 rating, launched Chris Columbus‘ writing career, and introduced a set of rules a generation of movie-watchers lived by.
Made in late 1983, the assembly cut ran about 2 hours, 35 minutes, about an hour longer than the movie released in June 1984, now fondly remembered as an ‘80s classic. While rumors of its existence swirled for years, it was only this year that Dante finally copped to it existing.
He gave the only known surviving version — his personal VHS copy, for Gimzo’s sake! — to The Gremlins Museum, an online archive and showcase of Gremlins props by Gremlins fanatic Ian Grant.
Grant then spent months cleaning up the material, digitizing it, and making it presentation worthy.
The cut features plenty of unseen character arcs and alternate takes. The first Gremlin doesn’t even show up until an hour in. Once the nasty little buggers do, however, there’s a lot of time spent on them (the chaos at the bar goes on for 10 or more minutes). Yes, we even get to see them walk. And Phoebe Cates’ speech about why she hates Christmas is nowhere to be found in this version.
“This is a very unusual screening,” said Dante. “You usually don’t go back into the archives and pull out stuff from the bin and show it to people, warts and all.”
Gremlins director’s cut screening
THR Staff/Borys Kit