George A. Romero's contribution to vampire lore contains the expected gore and social satire -- but it's also surprisingly thoughtful, and boasts a whopper of a final act.
George A. Romero's contribution to vampire lore contains the expected gore and social satire -- but it's also surprisingly thoughtful, and boasts a whopper of a final act.
Nearly a decade after George A. Romero changed the face of modern horror films with Night of the Living Dead -- and following the less successful projects Season of the Witch and The Crazies -- the Pittsburgh-based auteur returned to top form with this superb vampire tale. Set in a rapidly crumbling steeltown suburb, the story focuses on shy, moody Martin (John Amplas), a teenager of East European descent who may or may not be a vampire. Though he possesses no fangs or supernatural powers and
has no aversions to either crucifixes or garlic, Martin is nevertheless compelled to drug pretty young women, slash them with razor blades, and consume their blood. His motivations seem purely psychological -- as revealed to a call-in radio talk show where Martin has become an anonymous celebrity -- but the notion of a family vampire curse is fostered by Martin's stoic uncle Cuda Lincoln Maazel, who is convinced that he must destroy the boy by hammering a stake through his heart. Romero's superb script keeps the film's supernatural questions ambiguous, focusing instead on the characters' inner turmoil as modern-day attitudes and values clash with vanishing Old World traditions. Filmed on an extremely low budget, Martin benefits from its gritty, kitchen-sink realism, making the outbursts of graphic horror even more surreal and disturbing and creating a sense of doom that builds to a tragically ironic climax. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
George A. Romero is still limited by apparently low budgets. But he has inserted some sepia-toned flashback scenes of Martin in Rumania that are extraordinarily evocative.
More than just a midnight-movie classic, Martin is inventive, haunting and bitingly smart. Forget the recent Land Of The Dead and see Romero at the top of his terror game.
Romero's finest achievement may have been...[this] 1977 character study about a young, lonely man living in Pittsburgh who may or may not be a vampire.
Psicologicamente denso, o filme usa o "vampirismo" do personagem como metáfora das angústias de uma década conturbada, podendo ser "lido" de inúmeras formas diferentes.
George Romero's Martin is my favorite vampire movie. Set in 1970's Pittsburgh. At times gruesome and at times extremely thoughtful. Also a great soundtrack and a superb final scene. The thinking man's vampire movie.
One of my favourite vampire movies, this one if from Romero, who is more famous for his zombie movies, but does a fantastic job in any horror genre, I think. This movie has interesting characters, a story which is pretty realistic for a vampire movie, and an unexpected ending. I love it.
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