Themes: Fantasy Life, Assumed Identities, Vampires
Main Cast: John Amplas, Lincoln Maazel, Christine Forrest, Elayne Nadeau, Tom Savini
Release Year: 1978
Country: US
Run Time: 96 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Nearly a decade after George A. Romero changed the face of modern horror films with Night of the Living Dead -- and following the less successful projects Season of the Witch and The Crazies -- the Pittsburgh-based auteur returned to top form with this superb vampire tale. Set in a rapidly crumbling steeltown suburb, the story focuses on shy, moody Martin (John Amplas), a teenager of East European descent who may or may not be a vampire. Though he possesses no fangs or supernatural powers and has no aversions to either crucifixes or garlic, Martin is nevertheless compelled to drug pretty young women, slash them with razor blades, and consume their blood. His motivations seem purely psychological -- as revealed to a call-in radio talk show where Martin has become an anonymous celebrity -- but the notion of a family vampire curse is fostered by Martin's stoic uncle Cuda Lincoln Maazel, who is convinced that he must destroy the boy by hammering a stake through his heart. Romero's superb script keeps the film's supernatural questions ambiguous, focusing instead on the characters' inner turmoil as modern-day attitudes and values clash with vanishing Old World traditions. Filmed on an extremely low budget, Martin benefits from its gritty, kitchen-sink realism, making the outbursts of graphic horror even more surreal and disturbing and creating a sense of doom that builds to a tragically ironic climax. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Review
Arguably the best of George A. Romero's non-"Living Dead" horror films, this stylish chiller concerns a young man (John Amplas) who may or may not be a vampire. After causing a scandal for his family, he is sent to live with his Nosferatu-obsessed uncle (Lincoln Maazel) and begins killing again. Imaginative murder sequences and skillful effects by gore-master Tom Savini will keep bloodhounds happy, while it will have a broader appeal to film buffs for its haunting beauty and mythical resonance, as well as an atmospheric depiction of working-class immigrants in Pittsburgh. Romero alternates dingy color with expressionistic black and white to startling effect, and the amateur cast is outstanding -- particularly Maazel as the dictatorial and obsessive Tati Cuda. Vampire movies don't get much better than this. Trivia buffs should note that co-star Al Levitsky had a brief career in adult films like Honeymoon Haven and Sweet Throat. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Sarah Venable - Housewife victim; Fran Middleton - Train victim; Tony Buba - Drug Dealer; Clifford J. Forrest, Jr. - Fr. Zulemas; Al Levitsky - Lewis; Clayton McKinnon - Drug Dealer; Robert Ogden - Businessman; James Roy - Deacon; Richard P. Rubinstein - Housewife Victim's Husband; Donna Siegal - Woman; Donaldo Soviero - Flashback Priest; George A. Romero - Father Howard
Credit
George A. Romero - Director, George A. Romero - Editor, Donald A. Rubinstein - Composer (Music Score), Tom Savini - Makeup, Michael Gornick - Cinematographer, Richard P. Rubinstein - Producer, Tom Savini - Special Effects, Tony Buba - Sound/Sound Designer, George A. Romero - Screenwriter
Martin is a 1977horror film written and directed by George A. Romero. The film 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 in 1976. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1977 and was released in US cinemas on July 7, 1978. The film is regarded by horror fans as one of the finest B horror films of the 70's and is often cited among Romero's best works. Romero is also on record as saying Martin is his favorite of all his films. The film is also notable as the first collaboration between George Romero and special effects artist Tom Savini.
Martin (John Amplas) sedates women with a syringe full of narcotics and then slices their wrists with a razor blade so he can drink their blood. Martin, who comes to live with his uncle and niece in the dying town of Braddock, Pennsylvania, has romantic monochrome visions of vampiric seductions and torch-lit mobs, but it is impossible to tell how seriously he takes them.
His uncle, the superstitious old Tada Cuda, treats Martin like an Old World vampire and tries unsuccessfully to repel Martin with strings of garlic bulbs around the home and a crucifix. Martin mocks these attempts and says bitterly, "There's no real magic... ever." Martin strikes up a friendship with a lonely housewife, turning into a full-fledged affair with tragic results. The tone of the film is sad and filled with longing and unfulfilled desire—rather different for the traditional vampire movie, cliches of which are parodied in Martin's dreams and in the mock-silent-film scene where Martin terrorises Cuda in a children's playground. The ironic ending both gives a new twist to the traditional fate of vampires and suggests that Martin's disease is more widespread than we might care to imagine.
Alternate versions
Originally, the film ran longer than the final version, at 2 hours and 45 minutes. The original release was entirely in black and white. No copies of this cut exist to Romero's knowledge.
Much like Romero's Dawn of the Dead, Martin was edited for the European market, under the title of Wampyr. This version is only available in Italian dialogue, and is rumored to be edited by Dario Argento. This version's score was performed by the band Goblin.
During a screening and interview at USC, director George Romero related that the MPAA objected to a shot of Martin slicing someone's arm open with a razor blade. The entire shot would have earned the film the notorious "X" rating, and so he had to trim it by several seconds. The length of the shot, not the subject matter, was objectionable.
The original cut of the film ran nearly 2 hours 45 minutes.
Romero has confirmed that there is no known existing copy of the legendary 2 hour 45 minute cut at a recent screening of the film in New York City.
Tom Savini also did the stunts (and special makeup effects) in the film. His face can clearly be seen in the scene where the street person is hit and rolls over the hood and roof of the car.
The scenes at Cuda's church were filmed at a Braddock church that had actually been destroyed by a fire.
Director George A. Romero originally wanted the entire film to be in black and white, but the producers didn't want to risk this experiment and insisted that the majority of the film be in color.
Among the scenes said to have been included in the lost 160 minute version of the film was a conversation between Martin and the man in the restroom stall at the train station, more dialog from Cuda about the vampire lore, and a scene of Martin and Arthur talking at work.
The house used for Cuda's home in the film actually belonged to the films sound man Tony Buba. In fact it's the Buba family photo album that's featured in the film as Martin's family album. Many of the religious artifacts seen in the house also belonged to the Buba family.
During DVD commentary star John Amplas said that Tony Buba's grandmother was also living at the house where the film was shot. One day after shooting she saw one of the sinks full of fake blood and became very upset, not because of the mess but because she thought it was real blood and believed bodily harm had come to John Amplas.
Romero's mother in law, star Christine Forrest's mother, appears in the film as one of the women shopping at Cuda's store. Romero's father in law also has a role in the film as the priest that Cuda brings to Martin during the exorcism scene.
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.
The films setting of Braddock, Pennsylvania is indeed a real city outside of Pittsburgh. Local neighborhoods served as filming locations for the film and many locals appear as extras. The cops used for the shootout scene were actual Braddock policemen.
Producer Richard P. Rubinstein cameos in the film as the husband of the cheating housewife victim.
Romero's original script for the film had the character of Martin as an older person who was actually established as a vampire struggling to live in a modern world. However, when Romero saw John Amplas' performance on stage he re-wrote the character with Amplas in mind, making Martin a younger and more innocent character.
The Latin exorcism passages read by the priest during Martin's black and white flashbacks are authentic.
The scene where Martin walks through the parade was never in the script. There was a scene being shot on the porch when the parade and marching band came through the streets blowing out the sound for the porch scene. While it was passing the production crew took to the street and grabbed quick footage of the parade, later it was added into the film as a contrast for the startling conclusion of the film.
