Review of Martin (1978) by Shane D — 13 Oct 2009
In my humble opinion Martin is one of the best vampire films ever made, and probably my favorite non-zombie Romero flick. Romero put his own spin on the legend offering a more realistic and ambiguous take on vampirism.
It is never made clear whether Martin is actually a vampire or just a confused (and somewhat psychotic) young man. His crazy old world cousin, who Martin is forced to live with, doesn't help matters much by constantly referring to him as Nosferatu, and hanging garlic and crosses all over his house in order to prevent Martin from entering certain rooms (to no effect).
Martin's blood lust is treated like an addiction, which, as far as I'm aware, was a relatively original idea at the time. It is also his only form of sexual release. Things start to change once he meets a lonely housewife.
He begins to experience the pleasures that come with a living partner, and starts to realize there may be more to life than drugging women, slashing their wrists, and drinking their blood (as if that were possible).
If your looking for a good, atypical vampire movie then this one should be at the top of your list.
This review of Martin (1978) was written by Shane D on 13 Oct 2009.
Martin has generally received positive reviews.
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