While many film fans only really know George A. Romero’s filmography when it comes to his ‘Dead’ films, such as “Night of the Living Dead,” “Dawn of the Dead,” and “Day of the Dead,” the filmmaker had one of the most eclectic careers of any genre director of his era, often switching tones and styles based on the subject at hand. Case in point—1976’s vampire film, “Martin.” Considered a cult classic, “Martin” is a perfect example of Romero’s non-‘Dead’ filmography, offering a look at the full scope of what the filmmaker was capable of. And now, it appears a long-lost version of “Martin” has been unearthed almost 50 years after its first release.
Over the weekend, frequent Romero collaborator, Michael Gornick, shared a social media post showing a picture of a film reel of a black-and-white “director’s cut” of “Martin.” Gornick served as Director of Photography on the film, as well as “Dawn of the Dead,” “Knightriders,” “Creepshow,” and “Day of the Dead.” In his post, he shares that this is a seemingly lost cut of the film that Romero always preferred, and teased that it could lead to a new distribution of “Martin.”
In a Facebook post, Gornick wrote, “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.”
For those unaware, “Martin” isn’t your typical vampire film. The feature tells the story of the title character, a strange, young man who believes himself to be a bloodsucker. The film follows Martin as he attempts to find a way to satisfy his vampiric urges, all the while making the viewer question whether or not the character is in fact an undead monster.
Much like a lot of Romero’s work, “Martin” is a difficult film to track down, especially in the VOD/streaming space. So, hopefully, this new “director’s cut” of the film will eventually get the restoration and wide distribution it rightly deserves.