Martin is a
1977 horror film written and directed by
George A. Romero. The film was shot with a low-budget, filmed entirely on real locations, and many of the supporting cast members were friends and family of the filmmakers. It was filmed on location in the
Pittsburgh suburb of
Braddock,
Pennsylvania in 1976. The film premiered at the
Cannes Film Festival in May
1977 and was released in
US cinemas on
July 7,
1978. The film is regarded by horror fans as one of the finest B horror films of the 70's and is often cited among Romero's best works. Romero is also on record as saying
Martin is his favorite of all his films. The film is also notable as the first collaboration between George Romero and
special effects artist
Tom Savini.
Plot
Martin (
John Amplas) sedates women with a syringe full of narcotics and then slices their wrists with a razor blade so he can drink their blood. Martin, who comes to live with his uncle and niece in the dying town of
Braddock, Pennsylvania, has romantic monochrome visions of vampiric seductions and torch-lit mobs, but it is impossible to tell how seriously he takes them.