Review of Martin (1978) by Megan S — 25 May 2009

Probably my favorite entry in the Vampire-cum-Troubled Teen subgenre. Romero crafted a thoroughly engaging psychological study here (I'd say Martin is probably the most compelling character he ever wrote) while keeping his devilish wit fully in play.

Tom Savini's gore effects are as effective here as in anything else he's produced, although here it's in large part by virtue of their sparseness - in the entire hour and a half, we have maybe four scenes of bloodshed, most of which are quite brief.

For the rest of the flick, we get to see just what makes Martin tick, and I fully appreciate that there are no unambiguous answers. The film doesn't necessarily revel in its low budget, but it does use it to its advantage - the slyly self-reflexive use of the cheap Dracula costume was a particularly nice touch.