Martin (1977)

Director:

George A. Romero

Writer:

George A. Romero (writer)

Release Date:

7 July 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A Vampire for Our Age of Disbelief

Plot:

A young man, who believes himself to be a vampire, goes to live with his elderly and hostile cousin in a small Pennsylvania town where he tries to redeem his blood-craving urges.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Razor Blade | Blood | Black And White Scene | Teenager

Cast

John Amplas	...	Martin Matthias
Lincoln Maazel	...	Tada Cuda - Martin's Eldest Cousin
Christine Forrest	...	Christina - Martin's Cousin
Elyane Nadeau	...	Mrs. Abbie Santini
Tom Savini	...	Arthur
Sara Venable	...	Mrs. Willard - Housewife Victim
Francine Middleton	...	Train Victim (as Fran Middleton)
Roger Caine	...	Lewis - Lover (as Al Levitsky)
George A. Romero	...	Father Howard
James Roy	...	Deacon
J. Clifford Forrest Jr.	...	Father Zulemas
Robert Ogden	...	Businessman
Donaldo Soviero	...	Flashback Priest
Donna Siegel	...	Martin's Woman - Holding candles
Albert J. Schmaus	...	Family Member

Also Known As:

George A. Romero's Martin (Australia)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2005) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | France:-16 | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Braddock, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Laurel Entertainment Inc.

Trivia:

The films setting of Braddock, Pennsylvania is indeed a real city outside of Pittsburgh. Local neighborhoods served as filming locations for the film and many locals appear as extras. The cops used for the shootout scene were actual Braddock policemen.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the very beginning of the film on the train, Martin sneaks in and attacks a woman in her cabin. At first, she has a cold cream mask on. During the struggle, it suddenly disappears without a trace.

Quotes:

Mrs. Bellini: A young man in the house with Christina? Related or not, I don't think it's right.
Tada Cuda: But Mrs Bellini...
Mrs. Bellini: You shouldn't have it, Cuda. How will it look?
Tada Cuda: It looks as you want it to look, Mrs Bellini. My family knows how to behave.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tom Savini: The Early Years (2004) (V)

No Magic?

Writer-director George Romero delves into the world of modern vampirism...or does he? I am not real sure, but he does examine the life of a young man(says he is over eighty...is he?)that certainly thinks he is a vampire but has no fangs or claws but needs to use razor blades and needles to drug his victims. Is he a real vampire in the modern sense, or is he the product of societal, family and sexual repression and inner anger. Apparently there are family members that believe he is a "nosferatu," most notably his Uncle Cuda, played strongly by Lincoln Maazel, but Crosses, garlic, and the sun do not affect Martin. Martin tells his Uncle that the magic is all gone...what does that mean really? Martin is a strange, weirdly poetic, disturbing film. John Amplas does an outstanding job playing the ..whatever he is. I felt little sympathy for him but thought he was very evil in his madness and sickness. The rest of the cast is very adequate...although all unknowns for the most part except for Romero regular Tom Savini in a bit part. Romero's wife and father-in-law even have roles and to top that George Romero plays a priest(which he does quite nicely). Made on a small budget, Martin shows us the decay of city-life and briefly focusses on the young moving away to the suburbs. The movie is indeed slow at times, but the murder scenes are well executed(no pun intended) and create a great deal of suspense.