Martin (1978)

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.

Director:

George A. Romero

Writer:

George A. Romero

Stars:

John Amplas, Lincoln Maazel, Christine Forrest

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Amplas	...	Martin
Lincoln Maazel	...	Cuda
Christine Forrest	...	Christina
Elyane Nadeau	...	Mrs. Santini
Tom Savini	...	Arthur
Sara Venable	...	Housewife Victim
Francine Middleton	...	Train Victim (as Fran Middleton)
Roger Caine	...	Lewis (as Al Levitsky)
George A. Romero	...	Father Howard
James Roy	...	Deacon
J. Clifford Forrest Jr.	...	Father Zulemas
Robert Ogden	...	Businessman
Donaldo Soviero	...	Priest (segment "Flashback")
Donna Siegel	...	Woman (as Donna Siegal)
Albert J. Schmaus	...	Family

Storyline

George Romero does for vampires what he has already done to zombies - an intense and realistic treatment that follows the exploits of Martin, who claims to be 84 years old, and who certainly drinks human blood. The boy arrives in Pittsburg to stay with his uncle, who promises to save Martin's soul and destroy him once he is finished, but Martin's loneliness finds other means of release.

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Plot Keywords:

murder of a nude woman | nudity | vampire | 84 year old | blood | 

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Taglines:

Heir to the Blood Lust

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Fan site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 July 1978 (France)

Also Known As:

George A. Romero's Martin

Filming Locations:

Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$100,000, 31 December 1979

Company Credits

Production Co:

Laurel Entertainment Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lincoln Maazel's character was re-named Cuda because the exterior of the store that was used for the character's business was painted with the name The Cuda Co.

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Goofs

During the marching band scene, two men on the sidewalk dodge out of frame, one holding a boom mic.

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Quotes

Mrs. Santini: I can't have kids. I can never have kids. I have something wrong inside. I don't know, what do you think? Is that good for me, bad for me? No opinion? That's why you're so nice to have around Martin. You don't have opinions.

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Connections

Referenced in Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013)

User Reviews

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.