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:

Often said to be George A. Romero's personal favorite of his films.

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:

Radio Talk Show Host: Live for yourself! Whatever it takes to get through the night. Right, count?
Martin Madahas: Are you making fun of me?

Movie Connections:

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

A Beautiful Piece Of 70's Cinema.

You don't see anyone make a film like this anymore. Shot on 16mm but absolutely gorgeous looking. Low budget but has a very unusual and quite fine OST(modern classical/jazz sounding I guess?). Great characters and performances. Some of the performances are simple but are usually always quite charming. Romero was able to create a great look by using locations that happened to be available through family and friends. Martin exemplifies the beauty of doing a lot with a little. Re-watchable because there are so many clever details to be found. People looking for tired vampire movie formulas and a bit of T&A will be disappointed with this film. What's impressive is how little the film actually covers the standard themes of vampires. Instead, the actual social construct of vampirism is brought into question. Viewers are left to figure out and discuss what the main character is all about on their own. One of the finer moments in 70's semi-independent cinema. On par with Season Of The Witch in terms of weirdness and style. The creativity and integrity seen in Martin will seldom be seen again as long as Hollywood continues to be run by spineless, cowardly producers.