Movies
George A. Romero’s ‘Martin’ the First of Its Kind
With Only Lovers Left Alive making waves this year, it’s a perfect time for you to revisit George A. Romero’s Martin, which took him away from the zombie genre and into the vampire fray.
Just like he technically invented the zombie (I could argue against this, starting with Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space), he also reimagined what it would like to be a vampire.
In Martin, which released on this day in 1978 (even though it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1977), a young man (John Amplas), 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.
As far as I can tell, this was the first “realistic” take on vampires, bringing he creatures into the real world, with real world problems.
According to Wikipedia, Romero claims that Martin is the favorite of all his films. It was shot with a low budget, filmed entirely on real locations, and many of the supporting cast members were friends and family of the filmmakers. It was filmed on location in the Pittsburgh suburb of Braddock, Pennsylvania during the summer of 1976.
If you’ve never seen this movie, you’re in for a treat. I guarantee it’ll become an immediate favorite of yours.
“Mythic Quest” actor Chase Yi has been cast in a lead role in Paramount and Blumhouse’s new Paranormal Activity movie, Deadline reports this afternoon.
Ian Tuason (Undertone) will direct the eighth installment in the Paranormal Activity film franchise, set to release in theaters May 21, 2027.
As for character details or plot, well, those remain scarce at this stage.
While we wait for further news on whether the demonic Toby will reappear, Tuason previously revealed to Bloody Disgusting that technology will play a huge role in his vision: “Technology — camera technology — has advanced to a point where it’s become a big part of the film and what I want to do there.”
It’s fitting, especially as it was the original Paranormal Activity that inspired the filmmaker’s haunting debut, undertone.
Paranormal Activity, created by Oren Peli, first hit theaters in 2007. Its groundbreaking minimalist approach to found-footage ghost stories has spawned a seven-film franchise that’s grossed nearly $900 million worldwide.
Franchise originator Oren Peli will produce for Solana Films, with James Wan and Jason Blum producing for Blumhouse Atomic Monster. Michael Clear and Judson Scott will exec produce for Blumhouse Atomic, with Alayna Glasthal overseeing the project for the company. Other exec producers include Steven Schneider for Room 101, Inc., Dan Slater and Cody Calahan.
Also on the way soon is the Paranormal Activity stage play.