Martin
1977 Directed by George A. Romero
Horror Marathon 2024 Day 16 Film 31
Romero's Martin starts with a young man on a train that knocks out a woman with a needle and proceeds to bleed her out with a razor blade. He makes the scene look like a suicide, and proceeds to be picked up by an old religious cousin that seems to think that the man is indeed a vampire. While he has bloodlust, Martin refuses the old man's insistence on a supernatural connection. Martin lifts a cross and eats garlic- proclaiming "there's no real magic ever."
This feels like a statement from Romero- who disenchants the mythology of a vampire to that of a loner who's unable to interact with women- a male incel serial killer that Romero focuses on as the lackluster truth of sociopaths. Dimwitted sequences happen when Martin tries to kill - having the unfortunate occasion that her lover is also there. He's unable to kill or seemingly aroused while they're awake.
Martin bemoans to a Radio Jockey about his ailment- of wondering if he'll be capable being able to do "sexy stuff" without the blood. Even as he tries to wean himself off of it like an addict there seems to be something that will never change about Martin. Long sequences meander throughout the film, questioning his condition or watching people along his strolls. Even at 90 mins the film drags, but some of the introspection is interesting. The soundtrack is able to help with some of the atmosphere too with discordant chords and downbeat jazz tones.
In many ways this underpins a greater understanding of Romero's work. He's unable to really connect to the supernatural- developing stories that are at their heart really about societal structures or human conflict. This inert characterization of vampirism is the opposite of Anne Rice. Strip that away and we're left with having to confront evil within humanity itself. The religious iconography and feedback loops into how society (and even fandom and celebrity) creates bigger monsters than simply facing what we are. These ideas are more interesting than many of the aimless melodramatic scenes.