This is How Movies Should Be Made

Sadly Over-hyped

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

1977's Martin is Romero's fifth horror film. Technically, I consider this his fourth because I believe 1973's The Crazies draws too wide of an angle to be considered true horror. Martin is also acclaimed special effects/makeup artist Tom Savini's first collaboration with George Romero that would eventually form a great working relationship between the two. Savini lent his talented hand to other horror films throughout his 30-year reign but most fans hold his work with Romero in the highest regard. He drew quite a bit of influence from his time served as a combat photographer in Vietnam and due to these horrific experiences, Tom was able to recreate gruesome yet realistic carnage that was highly innovative at the time. Aside from working in the special effects and makeup department, Savini also starred in a number of Romero films as an actor - sadly, he officially announced his retirement from special effects a few years ago but still participates in other areas of film-making.Martin is about a young man with an affliction; he craves human blood. A shy and reclusive soul, he ends up killing young women just for the opportunity, not necessarily on purpose, but as a result of his desire. His second cousin, sworn to uphold the principality and honor of the family, believes Martin is of vampiric decent and has chosen to watch over him and cease his activities.As I mentioned before, Tom Savini starred in a few of Romero's works - this was his debut as an actor. Savini delivers a believable performance while he accompanies the rest of the cast in an "average" performance overall. The acting could have been better but it was decent enough for what it needed to be. Romero succeeds in creating a solid, desolate atmosphere that represents Martin's inner turmoil perfectly. Throughout the film's duration you capture a sense of what it most be like for the main character to deal with the predicament he's in. Unfortunately there are various segments that don't seem to hold importance to comprise the film's message. The editing is less than stellar and the audio is merely "ok". These negative points give the impression that the film doesn't know what it wants to be. Luckily they do not overshadow the end result. A good portion of Romero's films operated on a lower-than-average budget. Later this would improve as his popularity increased. As far as his earlier works are concerned, what he lacks in resources he makes up for with intelligence. It's no surprise that Romero's films are laced with some sort of commentary; covering a wide spectrum of man-made or physiological facets that form the world we live in. Outside of its existence as a horror film, Martin explorers the fallacy of social stereotyping. Is Martin really a vampire due to his affliction or is it an inherited disease? Should he be shunned or medically treated?For viewers who are seeking a quick thrill and immediate action, Martin won't provide enough satisfaction. If you're the type of individual who enjoys giving a film some thought before jumping to any rash conclusions, this may be for you. There are viewers out there who believe Martin's overall presentation is lackluster, dull, and overrated. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the same group of people who attempted to discredit Creepshow 2. The only thing you can do in a situation like this is ignore them...or more practically, burn them alive inside a Brazen Bull, then push them off a cliff.

I saw this film a few years ago, so my memory isn't great... Martin is a film I first saw as a matinée for 50p, and I wish I could get that back. First of all, the picture is HORRIBLE. It all seems just... sh*t. I know it was the 70s but they should have had some production values. It might symbolise something, but I don't get it at all. Secondly, the ending seems rushed. I mean really, really rushed. All I remember was "NOSFERATU!" *stab* Finally, I was shocked that it was George A. Romero who made this. I can't say it's all bad, It is possible to look at it as a vampire satire. (Although, again,if it was I definitely missed that), plus it isn't as bad as the vampire abomination that is Twilight.

I wasn't exactly sure whether Martin (John Amplas) was a vampire or a necrophiliac. He is not your usual vampire, if he is one. He has no fangs and goes out in the daylight. He uses razors and syringes to draw blood. Is he real or just delusional? His cousin Tada (Lincoln Maazel) is a strange one.Romero, who also plays in the movie, is trying to take us in a different direction here. Just as he made a statement on consumerism in Dawn of the Dead, he is making a statement on religion in this film. It will not meet the needs of the horror-obsessed, but it is true horror; more in the Taxi Driver mode.It really gets funny when he plans a kill and gets a big surprise.He finally manages to hook up with a depressed housewife for what he calls "the sexy stuff," but that ends badly and Tada finally loses it.It won't be for everyone, and you will never know if he is a vampire or just psychotic.

Martin is set in the town of Braddock in Pennsylvania where autistic teenager Martin Madahas (John Amplas) is staying with his strict superstitious uncle Tada Cuda (Lincoln Maazel) & his grand daughter Christina (Christine Forrest). Uncle Cuda is convinced that Martin is a Vampire, he has strong religious belief's that make him believe Martin in an 84 year old Vampire because of an ancient family curse. Martin tries to tell his uncle otherwise & convince him that he is not a Vampire but Martin often has the urge to go out, stalk & pick a woman who he then drugs & drinks the blood of. As he meets & befriends other people Martin has a harder time hiding his gruesome secret...Written & directed by George A. Romero who also has a small role in the film as a priest Martin was made between his most famous film Night of the Living Dead (1968) & in my opinion his best Dawn of the Dead (1978) & was fairly early on in his career, judging by Romero's early films such as Martin you can see why he gained such a reputation in the horror genre since his films always seemed to be relevant, feel fresh & original, have strong ideas & themes about life & society & be damned fine horror films in their own right. I'm not quite sure where it all went wrong for Romero but that's a different story for another time. Martin is often a fascinating film for a variety of reasons, the way that it approaches Vampirism in a very factual way & setting & the issues it raises about forcing one own belief's onto other's since it's entirely plausible Martin kills & drinks blood purely because his family had told him all of his life that he does. Martin is as much a drama as anything else, the way Martin copes in the real world, the way he copes with his extremist uncle, sexual repression & the way he befriends other's, I especially like the way Martin has to call a radio phone-in show to talk about his problems which is just such a modern & easy phenomenon. The film never definitely says whether Martin is a real Vampire or not, it's left up in the air for the audience to decide & strong arguments could be made for both. The pace is sometimes slow but it's never less than gripping & the story, character's & dialogue really draw you in. A complex film with no straight answers that lets you make up your own mind, surely one of Romero's best & one of the starkest modern day Vampire films ever made.The film was shot in & around the real town of Braddock & it looks as if Romero just said that location looks good, set-up his camera & shot the scene. Set largely within a deprived neighbourhood the film has a gritty sometimes ugly look about it which all adds to atmosphere or hopelessness & banality. There are many documentary style scenes of everyday life just going on around the story which gave me a real sense of Martin happening in the real world. Apparently the original cut of Martin was over two & a half hours long & that version now no longer exists, Romero wanted to shoot the film entirely in black and white but the producers baulked at that, the Cuda house in the film belonged to sound man Tony Buba, the film was originally to have extensive narration but that idea was ditched after the films story & narrative stood-up in it's own right & I love the story that Cuda was named so because the sign next to the shop used in the film said 'The Cuda Co.' whereas in the original script the character was called Tata Voda.With a meagre budget of about $80,000 Martin was low budget but it's well made with some memorable scenes especially the opening murder of a woman on a train. There's a bit of gore including slashed arms & a broken branch stuck into someone's throat. There's some full frontal nudity too. The acting is pretty good especially from star Amplas.Martin is not a film for everyone, it's not a film everyone will get or appreciate but if your in the right mood & want something that might make you think & is a refreshing take on the Vampire legend then Martin might be the film for you. A great film for many different reasons.