Martin is a serial killer and predator with his compulsion to kill rooted in sex and desire in all but name. Martin’s vampire status is ambiguous —a blessing and a curse — as he struggles to define his place in society.
In 1977, George A. Romero brought us a unique, bold, and distinctive vampire movie that faded from view for many years after its release, only to see the light of day again recently. Martin. From the outset, Romero dispenses with the classic tropes of the vampire movie as we meet the 19-year-old Martin on a train heading for Pennsylvania. As Martin walks the train corridors, Donald Rubinstein’s experimental jazz-inspired score emphasises his delicate looks, soft persona, and loneliness.
However, this lost, lonely, and insecure boy is a vampire, but not in the classic sense; he has a reflection, his teeth are not sharp, and the religious cross plays no significance in his well-being. Martin’s need for nourishment comes through carefully selected victims, each drugged before feeding in an urgent and often fumbled final struggle, his guilt coupled with a need to find intimacy in the arms of his victims.
Martin is a serial killer and predator with his compulsion to kill rooted in sex and desire in all but name. Martin’s vampire status is ambiguous —a blessing and a curse — as he struggles to define his place in society. Romero’s complex, enthralling, and fascinating character study is rooted in handheld camerawork, inner-city decline, and documentary-like realism, making Martin a vampire film unlike any other.
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