''Martin'' (also known internationally as ''Wampyr'') is a 1977 American
psychological horror
Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequently overlaps with the related subge ...
film written and directed by
George A. Romero, and starring
John Amplas. Its plot follows a troubled young man who believes himself to be a
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...
. Shot in 1976, ''Martin'' was Romero's fifth feature film and followed ''
The Crazies'' (1973).
Romero said that ''Martin'' was the favorite of all his films.
The film is also the first collaboration between George Romero and
special effects artist
Tom Savini
Thomas Vincent Savini (born November 3, 1946) is an American prosthetic makeup artist, actor, stunt performer and film director. He is known for his makeup and special effects work on many films directed by George A. Romero, including ''Martin' ...
. While a prosecution for obscenity did not result, the film was seized and confiscated in the UK under Section 3 of the
Obscene Publications Act 1959
The Obscene Publications Act 1959 (c. 66) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom Parliament that significantly reformed the law related to obscenity in England and Wales. Prior to the passage of the Act, the law on publishing obscene mater ...
during the
video nasty
Video nasty is a colloquial term popularised by the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association (NVALA) in the United Kingdom to refer to a number of films, typically low-budget horror or exploitation films, distributed on video cassette that ...
panic.
Plot
A young man, Martin, traveling on an overnight train from
Indianapolis to
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, sedates a woman with a syringe full of narcotics, slices her forearm with a razor blade, then drinks her blood. The next morning, he is met at the Pittsburgh train station by his elderly cousin, Tateh Cuda, who escorts him to a second train destined for
Braddock,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. Martin claims to be much older than his appearance would suggest. He has romantic
monochrome
A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochrom ...
visions of religious icons, vampiric seductions, and torch-carrying mobs, but whether these are memories or fantasies is not specified. Cuda, in accordance with family tradition, has reluctantly agreed to give Martin
room and board alongside Cuda's orphaned granddaughter, Christina.
Cuda is a
Lithuanian Catholic who treats Martin like an
Old World vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...
, referring to him as "
Nosferatu
''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ...
." He tries unsuccessfully to repel Martin with traditional methods, such as strings of garlic and a
crucifix
A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...
. Martin mocks these attempts and says bitterly, "There's no real magic...ever." Christina is also highly skeptical and critical of Cuda's beliefs, and thinks Martin should receive psychiatric treatment. Cuda warns that if Martin murders anyone in Braddock, he will stake him through the heart.
Martin seeks advice from a local radio
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...
, who dubs him "The Count." He rejects many common perceptions about vampires, saying there is no "magic stuff." The DJ's listeners consider Martin to be a hit. While making deliveries for Cuda's butcher shop, Martin meets a lonely, depressed housewife named Abbie Santini. When she touches Martin during an attempt at seducing him, he flees. Unbeknownst to his family, Martin goes to Pittsburgh and targets a woman he sees at a grocery store. Believing her to be alone while her husband is away on business, he breaks into her house but finds her in bed with a lover. After a series of struggles, Martin kills and feeds on the man instead of the woman, then drugs her before leaving the scene. Back in Braddock, Martin has
sexual intercourse with Mrs. Santini, and they begin a full-fledged affair which lessens his appetite for blood.
Christina becomes increasingly frustrated by her disagreements with Cuda, ultimately moving out of his house and bidding Martin goodbye. Worried about experiencing
withdrawal, Martin goes on a feeding binge in the city; he attacks a pair of homeless derelicts and narrowly escapes the police. Upon returning to Braddock, he visits Mrs. Santini only to discover that she has committed
suicide by cutting her wrists in a bathtub. Cuda, who has learned of Mrs. Santini's death, believes Martin to be her killer and fatally stakes him through the heart before burying him in a backyard flowerbed.
Radio callers inquire and speculate about "The Count" while Tateh Cuda places a small crucifix atop Martin's grave.
Cast
Production
Romero wrote the script for ''Martin'' based on literary monsters and their orientation in culture; discussing it, he said:
The character of Martin was initially an older man and an actual vampire. Romero saw Amplas in a Pittsburgh production of ''
Philemon'' he decided to rewrite the part to suit Amplas and cast him in the role.
The film was shot on a budget of around $250,000. Many of the supporting cast members were friends and family of the filmmakers. It was filmed in the
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
suburb of
Braddock,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, during the summer of 1976. Producer Rubinstein acknowledges that where he indicated a budget of $250,000, the actual budget was only $100,000, but he did not want anyone thinking that they could just commission a film for $100,000, so he inflated the figure to what he estimated would be a reasonable, independent budgeted amount.
The original cut of the film ran approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. Romero, who shot the film on color film stock, had initially wanted the film to be black-and-white, and disputed with producer Richard Rubinstein over the matter.
[ The final version of the film as it was released is in color, with only Martin's fantasy and dream sequences presented in black-and-white.][
]
Release
Theatrical
''Martin'' was screened at the Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...
film market in 1977 in hopes of securing a distributor.[ Libra Films International purchased distribution rights to the picture, initially giving it a limited release in the United States on May 10, 1978 around the Washington, D.C. area.]
Similarly to Romero's '' Dawn of the Dead'', ''Martin'' was edited for the European market by Dario Argento and released in 1978 under the title of ''Wampyr''. Its score was performed by the band Goblin
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on ...
. ''Wampyr'' is now only available in an Italian-dubbed version.
Home media
In the United States, the film received a DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
release by Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television se ...
. The film was re-released on DVD on November 9, 2004 by Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
.[ In the United Kingdom, it was released by ]Arrow Video
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ca ...
in a two-disc DVD set on June 28, 2010. In April 2021, Second Sight Films announced that a 4K restoration of the film was underway, with Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
and 4K Ultra HD
Ultra-high-definition television (also known as Ultra HD television, Ultra HD, UHDTV, UHD and Super Hi-Vision) today includes 4K UHD and 8K UHD, which are two digital video formats with an aspect ratio of 16:9. These were first proposed by ...
releases expected later that year.
Soundtrack
The film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
by Donald Rubinstein was released on Perseverance Records
Perseverance Records is a record label which releases film scores on CD and online. Releases are usually accompanied by extensive booklets. Extras, such as audio interviews with composers, are also sometimes included.
Discography
*
*''No Pass ...
on November 7, 2007. It was originally released by Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, owned by Concord Music Group and distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums, as well as newer r ...
in 1979.
Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, ''Martin'' holds an approval rating of 90%, based on 40 reviews, and an average rating of 7.5/10. Its consensus reads, "George A. Romero's contribution to vampire lore contains the expected gore and social satire -- but it's also surprisingly thoughtful, and boasts a whopper of a final act." On Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".
A review published by ''The Austin Chronicle
''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...
'' noted: "''Martin'' is relentlessly downbeat and has a molasses pace, but is nonetheless worthwhile to watch if you're in the mood for an uncomfortable, depressing Romero-style take on the vampire legend."
''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' staff wrote: "Pittsburgh-based auteur George A. Romero is still limited by apparently low budgets. But he has inserted some sepia-toned flashback scenes of ''Martin'' in Rumania that are extraordinarily evocative, and his direction of the victimization scenes shows a definite flair for suspense." Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum (born February 27, 1943) is an American film critic and author. Rosenbaum was the head film critic for ''The Chicago Reader'' from 1987 to 2008, when he retired. He has published and edited numerous books about cinema and has ...
of the '' Chicago Reader'' called the film "quasi-comic", and added that it "remains his artiest effort, and in some respects his most accomplished work." Robert Sellers of the '' Radio Times'' awarded the film four out of five stars, calling it "a neglected minor masterpiece", and praised the film's intelligent story, atmosphere, and humor. ''TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008.
Corpora ...
'' gave the film four out of five stars, calling it "a shocking, thoughtful reworking of the vampire myth"
The film was not without its detractors. Judith Martin
Judith Martin (née Perlman; born September 13, 1938), better known by the pen name Miss Manners, is an American columnist, author, and etiquette authority.
Early life and career
Martin is the daughter of Helen and Jacob Perlman. Her father w ...
of ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' criticized the film's depiction of violence as well as the critical assessments regarding the film's underlying themes (such as alienation and satire of the literary vampire), writing: "''Martin'' is pretentious in a way that pornography is when it is dressed up for people who don't want to admit to their taste. We're not really coming for that, it seems to say; that is just there because it is an integral part of the story."
Legacy
In the early 2010s, '' Time Out'' conducted a poll with several authors, directors, actors and critics who had worked within the horror genre. They were asked to vote for their top horror films. ''Martin'' placed at number 87 on their top 100 list.[
British synth pop/avant-garde band ]Soft Cell
Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of "Tainted Love" and their pla ...
wrote a 10:16 song entitled "Martin" inspired by this film. Only available as a 12" single bundled with initial copies of their 1983 album, '' The Art of Falling Apart'', it was included as a bonus track when the album was released on CD.
Upon Romero's passing, Ben Sachs of ''The Chicago Reader
The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...
'' wrote about the film calling it "perhaps the most emotional in Romero's career." Jez Winship authored a monograph entitled ''Martin'', an analysis on the film published by Electric Dreamhouse.
In October 2021, a 16mm print of the black-and-white director's cut, previously believed to be lost, was located, and will undergo restoration.
See also
* Richard Chase
Richard Trenton Chase (May 23, 1950 – December 26, 1980) was an American serial killer, cannibal, and necrophile who killed six people in the span of a month in 1977 and 1978 in Sacramento, California. He was nicknamed The Vampire of Sac ...
* Vampire films
Vampire films have been a staple in world cinema since the era of silent films, so much so that the depiction of vampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in films throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptat ...
* List of films featuring home invasions
There is a body of films that feature home invasions. Paula Marantz Cohen says, "Such films reflect an increased fear of the erosion of distinctions between private and public space... These films also reflect a sense that the outside world is mo ...
References
Works cited
*
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin (Film)
1978 films
1978 horror films
1978 independent films
1970s serial killer films
American psychological horror films
American horror drama films
American independent films
American serial killer films
1970s English-language films
Films directed by George A. Romero
Films set in Pittsburgh
Films shot in Pittsburgh
1970s horror drama films
American vampire films
1978 drama films
American exploitation films
1970s American films
Films shot in 16 mm film