“I Had Nightmares”: George R.R. Martin Recalls the First Movie He Saw in Theaters

George R.R. Martin and Vincent D’Onofrio stopped by the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival on Saturday night to promote their new short film, Night of the Cooters.

Ahead of the screening, I had the chance to chat with them. And since the evening was taking place at the historic Rialto Center for the Arts in downtown Atlanta, I wanted to get a bit nostalgic and ask about the first movie Martin saw in the theater and how he remembers the experience impacting him at the time. 

“I think the first movie I saw in a theater was the original ‘King Kong,'” Martin recalls. “And then, for years afterward, I had nightmares about a giant monkey trying to reach in the window and grab me.”

“I didn’t know where it came from until years later. I saw the original ‘King Kong’ again. And then I thought, ‘Ah, yes!'” he continues. “My mother took me to see that at the theater that burned down.”

“I loved movies right from the first time I saw them,” Martin smiles. “I used to keep a little list of every movie that I’d seen.”

Check out the video clip below!

George R.R. Martin Remembers the First Film He Saw in Theater

A Brief Comment on the New Game of Thrones Prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight

Naturally, the topic of George R.R. Martin’s newest project with Max, formally HBO Max, also came up. Unfortunately, Martin wasn’t sharing many details on the latest Game of Thrones prequel, which is based on his novel Tales of Dunk and Egg.

“So, I don’t when that’s going to debut. But we’ve got a writing room and a full season pickup, so we’re going to be doing that,” Martin teased. “That’s in the early stages.​”

About the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival

The full schedule of films and events is available at www.AtlantaFilmFestival.com and through the ATLFF 2023 app. In addition, festival passes and tickets for individual events are still available. In-person screening tickets range from $12-15. Virtual access is $9.99 per film/panel with an unlimited virtual all-access pass for $85 for both movies and Creative Conference.