Martin (George Romero’s)
| release date | July 7 1978 |
| studio | Lions Gate Films |
| director | George Romero |
| writer | George Romero |
| starring | John Amplas, Lincoln Maazal, Christine Firrest, Elyane Nadeau |
| rating | R |
| tagline | See it with someone you're sure of |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
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A fully character driven film, that many would think that George A. Romero is incapable of. Yes, he can do more than direct zombie movies. A realistic and somber vampire tale that’s quite fascinating. An unsung cult classic among horror fans.
Pretty good. Very old school special effects. Nice satire and take on vampires.
such a different take on vampirism altogather but done stunningly well very gothic flashbacks with a charecter you feel for what an amazing movie..by the master of zombies none the less!
Great vampire movie in the tradition of social commentary/realism like Romero’s other works.
Romero is the Fucking Man. Martin is an awesome movie and a different take on the vampire genre. Like stated before this is a very character driven film. This is an overlooked gem. Check it out!
I only bought this movie because my name is Martin lol (well the directors name influenced me a little bit). Really enjoyed it. Something different.
People have forgotten “Martin” and that’s a damn shame. This is George Romero’s best in my honest opinion. It’s not scary, but it IS very creepy. Really creepy.
John Amplas does a great job and deserves some kind of recognition for his role. The TOWN! The town reeks of despair and lost hope. George Romero came outta Pittsburgh and I think that’s where this takes place or a suburb of same. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it.
This one is slow and is more about the journey than the destination. Very worthy of your attention.
Martin is a fantastic film. I’m not a big George A. Romero fan but this film was great. The actors were perfect for the parts, the acting was well done and the story was highly original. You get drawn in to it and it’s very interesting. The ending is quite shocking and makes the film a must-see. But all together, it is a very well made gothic vampire film.
Romero’s masterpiece. My favorite vampire film of all time. John Amplas portrayal of Martin, an 80something year old man who looks young in his 20′s who suffers from actual vampirism and the need to drink blood to stay alive. It is the bastard child of the sub genre of the draculae – a perfect character driven masculine option that is unegotistic and feels in touch with the vampires of old – garlic wreaths, crosses, and Christian incantations by candlelight, followed by the subsequent save-your-soul lynching – MARTIN is the alternative film of the fang that screams to be admired and respected for its clarity on looking into the reality of “if a vampire was living in the urban 70′s”. It is to this day, after everything, my favorite vampire film.
“Martin” is amazing, absolutely amazing! It’s tense, suspenseful, highly atmospheric and even a bit disturbing – but also pretty emotional and touching. The acting is breathtakingly excellent, especially the performances from John Amplas, Lincoln Maazel and Elyane Nadeau.
It’s brilliantly written and paced. The plot is fantastic and many parts of the dialogue are just staggering. It’s also wonderfully filmed with many great close-ups, ‘gorgeous’ shots of all the abandoned places and some stunning-looking black-and-white scenes. The soundtrack is also absolutely brilliant.
Besides there are many scenes that are absolutely unforgettable: the opening on the train, the exorcism, the super-stunning stalk-and-attack scene, Martin’s fake vampire scare and of course the amazing ending.
Probably the best vampire-themed movie ever made.
A very dark, Gothic film. Martin is a very well made film. The cinematography is great and the acting is also really good. Has a very eerie feel to it that really adds to the creepiness. All In All, Martin is among the best vampire films ever and the ending is truly shocking.
this is an ok flick. can be slow at times. i really don’t see that this is an important vamp flick though. besides the lead role, everybody’s acting was terrible. i did like the way it was filmed, the flashbacks. i just couldn’t feel anything for Martin because his shyness made me laugh. i mean is this guy a pussy or what? anyway’s it’s worth watching.
I hated this fucking movie.I wanted to slap the shit outta that douche who played martin.It was terrible.Romero never has a problem with making a shit film.
This is a great movie-period.It works on so many different levels.It’s got this werid documentry feel.I don’t think anyone else mentioned this,but,Martin is not a real vampire.He is the victim of an abusively superstious family.That’s the kindest way I can put it,but if you’ve been through that stuff for real(not the vampire/murder stuff,but the crazy beleif stuff).You’ll “Get” this film.
Great atmosphere and excellent cinematography. Romero never fails to deliver.
With all due respect to George Romero – this movie sucked. A big disappointment. Not scary at all. Another “mood” movie. Sad, depressing, pathetic. Not sure why the BD boys would rate this a 10. Shouldn’t this be reserved for movies that are actually scary? (Halloween, The Exorcist, The Ring, The Thing, The Shining) I guess the blood draining scenes may distrub a few people.
George A. Romero’s “Martin” is what should have been a disaster, ending in a rather forgettable but unforgivable mess. I didn’t think that Romero, a veteran director of the undead, could direct a vampire so well and with so much good thought. I admire “Martin” for many reasons, one of them being because it gets the horror “feel” right; yet it’s not entirely a horror film. What’s special about this film is that it balances drama with thrills so very well; and it’s better than most films of its type.
In fact, “Martin” almost spoofs clichés and aspects of vampire film. It honors the good films, of course, and skewers the hell out of the bad ones, even if there weren’t many, even in the 70′s, when this beauty was made. This is a recommendation not only for horror fans, but also for most cinephiles. The film never gets excessive in its violence in sexuality, yet it still has this disturbing-but-charming quality that sticks with it throughout. In short, “Martin” is an achievement for Romero, as it is one of his finest films, among others. As much as I would have loved to see it surpass “Dawn of the Dead”, that just doesn’t happen. But then again, that’s the only thing that doesn’t get accomplished with “Martin”. Everything else is executed rather brilliantly, and I enjoyed watching the final product. Here is a cult classic that deserves an audience. It also deserves all the praise it’s been getting, and you know what; this does not come as a surprise, in the end.
The film centers on a presumably young man named Martin. He is shy, intriguing, but has a secret; he may be a vampire, or at least he believes himself to be one. He moves in with an elderly relative who shares this belief; a relative who is constantly trying to repel Martin with vampire-cliché repellents such as garlic and a crucifix. Meanwhile, Martin must make haste with little time he has. He must gather blood to get his “fix”; but he also wants to make a connection with another human being for once.
It’s a sweet story rather than a horrific one, really, and that’s what I liked so darn much about it. The film is intelligent in how it portrays its titular character. Martin speaks like Johnny Depp in “Edward Scissorhands”, and tends to remind me of Depp anyways, but without the scissorhands. Martin is endearing and shy; yet sweet and secretive. There’s something seductive about the character, and there’s also something quite ominous about the other people that surround him. Long-story-made-short, this is a well-made movie. Effort was put into the story-telling, which has somewhat of a strong emotional kick to it, as well as the character. Martin isn’t quite the classic Vampire, but this film does not want him to be that anyways. So things work out.
Here is a film that mocks and pays homage to past vampire films. Therefore, the film is heavy in stylization, but there’s also some good substance as well, which is always a good thing. The film’s visual style is nice, often switching from taut, color picture to stylized black-and-white cinematography. This makes the film fairly unique, even for what it is, and I liked the feel of the overall movie. The music is also pretty good (it was composed by Donald Rubinstein, and the popular horror-score masters Goblin in the Italian version), and I’ll have to check out the Italian dub (if only for Goblin’s genuine awesomeness).
I appreciate “Martin” and its existence. There is some superb directing, editing, and filmmaking that went into this film, and Romero used to be so much of a visionary that he could make stuff as good as this. This may be one of his best flicks, because he has never since made a film quite as unique and clever. “Martin” may not be terrifically original, but it is spectacularly scary, sometimes funny, and even a little touching, at the end of the day. So basically, there’s a lot to look at here, on an artistic level. The blood pours freely, and so does the sentimentality; but this film never forgets what it’s aiming for. And it hits the bull’s-eye with remarkable results. I am recommending “Martin” not only for its stylized visuals and music, but also for its direction and story-telling. It’s unlike most Vampire films, which automatically makes it better. And for all its sheer spectacle, you should watch it.