30 Best Hidden Gem Horror Movies Perfect For Halloween
17. Martin
George A. Romero, the famed father of the modern zombie movie and writer-director of Night of the Living Dead (1968) and the even better Dawn of the Dead (1978), cast his shadow across horror with many underseen projects, none more haunting or precise than 1977's Martin - Romero's subversive take on the vampire subgenre.
The title character, played with sensitive intensity by John Amplas, is a troubled young man with a compulsion to drink blood, who moves in with an elderly relative convinced he’s a real vampire. As Martin tries to build a quiet life working in a grocery store, his urges inevitably lead to tragedy.
Set in a grimy, contemporary Pittsburgh, the film follows Martin through gritty streets where he remains oddly sympathetic despite his violent tendencies. While the movie toys with classic vampire trappings, it never confirms whether Martin actually is supernatural. What is clear, though, is that he’s a deeply troubled person who needs help but is denied it and lashes out. Being a Romero story, there’s a sharp social commentary here on US society’s neglect of mental health.
It all ends on a crushing, dour note, and even if Martin isn’t a tragic monster from the Universal pantheon, he certainly goes out with a final note that would fittingly match the best of them.