Fans of the 1984 holiday horror-comedy classic Gremlins are buzzing with excitement! Director Joe Dante has made a monumental discovery, personally providing two previously unheard-of VHS tapes containing a rough cut of the film to The Gremlins Museum. This treasure trove of archival footage is now set for digitization and remastering, offering an unprecedented look into the movie's early development.

The tapes, sent to the museum's curator this month, include one labeled “11/23/83 – Gremlins 1st Assembly” and another simply titled “Gremlins outtakes.” The first assembly cut alone clocks in at 2 hours and 35 minutes, making it almost an hour longer than the 106-minute theatrical release. The accompanying outtakes tape is said to contain an additional 40 minutes of deleted and alternate material.

This extended version reportedly features longer takes, deleted plot points, more developed character arcs, and raw camera audio that includes animatronic puppet sounds. Early creature sounds are also temporary, predating the iconic voices provided by performers like Howie Mandel, Frank Welker, and Mark Dodson. Enthusiasts can anticipate seeing long-rumored sequences, such as Barney knocking over Mrs. Deagle’s snowman and full mogwai walking shots, now confirmed to exist within this footage.

While the footage was a personal gift from Joe Dante to the museum, it remains property of Warner Bros. The Gremlins Museum is diligently working on remastering the audio and video, with discussions already underway with effects creator Chris Walas and film star Zach Galligan about potential special screenings. Fans are hopeful that this extraordinary material might eventually see a wider release, perhaps as an extra feature on a future Blu-ray.