Martin is George Romeros lost masterpiece, the movie thats overshadowed by his Living Dead films, Creepshow et al. Even The Crazies got a big-bucks remake, something thats unlikely to happen here the movie didnt go into the black until it reached video in the mid-80s. You need to discover this film for yourself because Martin is one of Romeros best structured, best shot and most entertaining films. Its also one of his most disturbing. 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. When plastic fangs prove ineffective, 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.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
