MARTIN (1976)

Director: George A. Romero

Writer: George A. Romero

Producer: Richard P. Rubinstein

Cast: John Amplas, Lincoln Maazel, Christine Forrest, Elyane Nadeau, Tom Savini, Sarah Venable, Fran Middleton, Roger Caine (as Al Levitsky), George A. Romero, James Roy, J. Clifford Forrest, Jr., Robert Ogden, Donna Siegel, Donaldo Soviero, Albert J. Shmaus, Lillian Shmaus, Frances Mazzoni, Vincent D. Survinski, Regis Survinski, Clayton McKinnon, Tony Buba, Pasquale Buba, Tony Pantanella, Harvey Eger, Tom Weber, Douglas Serene, Robert Barner, Stephen Fergelic, Jeanne Serene, Ingeborg Forrest, Carol McCloskey, Nicholas Mastandrea, John Sozansky, (and uncredited cast members) Richard P. Rubinstein, Michael Gornick, Katherine Kolbert 

Martin (John Amplas) is a teenager sent to live with his cousin Tateh Cuda (Lincoln Maazel) in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania borough of Braddock. Elderly Cuda considers Martin the family shame and calls him “nosferatu.” While he contests Cuda’s old-world vampire beliefs, young Martin also believes himself to actually be 84 years old and kills to drink his victims’ blood. 

The Flashback Fanatic movie review

Pittsburgh filmmaker George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968) was the cult hit that shocked its audiences and gave the world the horror trope of the apocalyptic cannibal zombie contagion. He made four more interesting feature films before he would continue his living dead series. Martin was the last of this quartet of films, and it is the one that was the most critically successful. It was a favorite of Romero’s and remains a favorite of mine, as well.

Writer-director Romero depicts the mundane and dreary world this story takes place in with interesting shot choices. He uses editing that punches up tension and anticipation in scenes that often lead to surprising and sometimes funny reveals. Romero is always contrasting the threat of Martin and audience expectations of vampire situations with the dismal reality of the modern world.

John Amplas is perfectly cast as the sympathetic menace Martin. Despite his deadly cunning, he has a simple and withdrawn demeanor. He appears to be nothing more than a lonely and socially impaired teenager that receives no compassion from Tateh Cuda, the old relative that has become his guardian. However, Martin observes things with a blunt and perceptive honesty. As an outsider he perceives things as they really are and not as people would have them. 

Romero also toys with our perceptions and expectations regarding Martin. We empathize with the family plight of this young man, though we have seen him commit murder. Martin refutes the “magic” elements of vampire lore, yet he also claims to be 84 years old. This ambiguity removes the story from genre traditions to create a real world intimacy and uncertainty with the audience. While there is no doubt that Martin’s murderous behavior should be stopped, we are left to wonder how he became so dangerous. Is Martin truly a vampire through no fault of his own? Has he been warped by family superstition? Is he just a psychosexual killer sating a sick compulsion? 

One of the most interesting aspects to this movie is Martin calling into a talk radio show. He becomes a popular and recurring gimmick as an anonymous and self-proclaimed vampire. Many of his on-air conversations play out over other scenes in the film that make for effective and poignant storytelling. To the audiences of the radio show and this film, Martin explains his vampire life. This is taken as fun hokum by the show’s patronizing host, but it serves as a modern confessional outlet for Martin. It is interesting to contrast it with the devout Catholicism of his stern, unsympathetic cousin and guardian Cuda. There is no confessional comfort for Martin to be found in that religious faith. 

Director Romero himself has a small and funny role as the modern Catholic priest invited to dinner at Cuda’s household. The generation gap seems to contribute to the lack of resolution that religion can provide in this situation. The elder Cuda can’t get the kind of religious simpatico he is looking for from the much younger priest. His church having been destroyed in a fire and the congregation holding services in a substitute location while funds are sought for reconstruction further stresses religious impotence. 

Ineffectual religious faith and ritual are just some of the many values dying in the world of Martin. We see a lack of communication and trust between the old and the young, infidelity and incompatibility in relationships, a decline in civility resulting in public harassment, depressed economic circumstances, derelicts, and street crime. Martin’s victims are the fastest casualties in a decaying society. 

Martin was the debut of Tom Savini in Romero’s productions. Savini not only has a role as Arthur, the boyfriend to Cuda’s granddaughter Christina (Christine Forrest), he also provided the make-up effects and some stunt work. His splattery ingenuity in Romero’s next film, Dawn of the Dead (1978), would make Tom Savini the go-to guy for gore in the '80s. 

Romero’s future wife Christine Forrest gives a nice and naturalistic performance. Her Christina is a friendly relative to Martin that helps to humanize him to us. They are both in unhappy family and life circumstances. 

The only other worthwhile relationship Martin has is with the sexy and unhappy housewife Abby Santini (Elyane Nadeau in her only movie role). Martin’s affair with Abby provides the emotional fulfillment that seems to be the only hope he has of getting past his blood lust. 

Complimented by Donald Rubinstein’s haunting score, George A. Romero gives us a great and unique horror film full of melancholy, ambiguity, and gritty humility. In our private moments, many of us can see shades of Martin and his bleak world in our own lives.