10 Best Exploitation Films Of All Time
9. Martin
One of George Romero's more obscure pictures, Martin didn't make any money on its original release and was subsequently overshadowed by Dawn Of The Dead (1978). Even The Crazies got a big bucks remake, something that's unlikely to happen to Martin as it has a shot at being Romero's most unsettling film.
In the opening sequence, the eponymous character, who believes himself to be a vampire, stalks a woman on a train, drugs her and drinks her blood. Lacking fangs, he resorts to razor blades, though in his fantasies (shown in monochrome, just like the classic vampire movies) he pictures himself as a traditional bloodsucker with a long black cape. Eerily prefiguring the later adulation heaped upon teenage vampires, he calls a late-night radio show to talk about his crimes and instead becomes a local celebrity.
You need to discover this film for yourself because Martin is one of Romero’s best structured, best shot and most entertaining films. It’s also one of his most disturbing, and anyone expecting a traditional genre films with clearly delineated heroes and villains will be shocked by the protagonist's antics.