Get ready, Mogwai fans! A monumental discovery has been made for devotees of the 1984 cult classic, Gremlins. Director Joe Dante himself has uncovered a previously unseen, extensive rough cut of the film, providing an unprecedented glimpse into the movie's original vision.

This exciting find includes two VHS tapes personally provided by Dante to the curator of The Gremlins Museum Collection. One tape is labeled “11/23/83 – Gremlins 1st Assembly,” clocking in at 2 hours and 35 minutes – nearly an hour longer than the 106-minute theatrical release. The other tape contains approximately 40 minutes of “Gremlins outtakes.”

The newly found assembly cut features “longer and alternative takes, deleted plot points, larger character arcs, raw camera audio with animatronic puppet sounds, and a movie which at times has a completely different feel,” according to The Gremlins Museum Collection site. The outtake reel even confirms the existence of long-rumored scenes, such as Barney knocking over Mrs. Deagle's snowman. The original Gremlins film, written by Chris Columbus and produced by Michael Finnell, was released by Warner Bros. on June 8, 1984, starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, and Hoyt Axton.

While this archival footage remains Warner Bros. property, efforts are underway to digitize and remaster the material, including attempting to improve the very rough original audio. Both Chris Walas, who created the iconic Gizmo and Gremlin effects, and actor Zach Galligan, who played Billy Peltzer, have expressed interest in special screenings. Fans are hopeful that Warner Bros. might eventually include this fascinating footage as a special feature on a future Blu-ray release.