By Athena Hueber
Martin (1977) - A Quiet Cult Classic
A Film Theory Discussion by Athena Hueber
H.P. Lovecraft is one of the pioneers of modern horror with the concept of some parts of the universe being “unknowable” with fantastical demons and secrets. He stated, “No new horror can be more terrible than the daily torture of the commonplace,” taken from the Necronomicon. This is what sets the scene for the title sequence of the not as mainstream film, Martin (1977) directed by George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead and other sequels.) This was Romero’s most, arguably, artistic project and his reported favorite. It starts with a woman boarding a train quietly with no musical score to be heard but a horn blowing. Please keep in mind, I would not recommend this film to people with certain sensibilities when it comes to assault.
This is one technique in horror films that can scare the absolute shit out of me sometimes. No hard pounding on the keyboard, no “chee chee chee chee, ah ah ah ah.” Just one quick glance of our main character as he sees his next “kill.” Romero’s camera cuts are purposeful and focus on the items used in Martin’s intentions with all of his victims throughout the film. Yet with the woman on the train - a razorblade, a needle with a sedative and his own physical force. When she asks what he injected her with after their struggle, he replies, “It will just put you to sleep.” Once she finally concedes to her fate, Martin lays naked with her corpse after feeding on her as a vampire. Systematically afterwards, he takes a shower and puts items around the room (a bottle of pills) to insinuate that she killed herself.
Once Martin arrives at the next station, he is met by his Cousin Cuda, a pious man, who states they have to board another train as if they are both a mission. Finally, Martin arrives to his home and Cuda says, “You are Nosferatu!” He states if Martin takes anyone from the city, he will destroy him. In black-and-white flashbacks, there was a similar interaction over his deeds with a priest who had attempted to stab him with a stake a century before. These are shown throughout the film. Martin looks at Cuda and says, “There’s no such thing as magic.”
As the film continues, Martin attempts to appear as “normal” such as helping the locals with chores and trying to be polite. Romero wanted this particular film to be simple, especially with his characters, half of which don’t have names. Martin’s walks during the night on a busy street with pornographic images on the side of a building with a 70’s guitar playing in the background, him people-watching on the sidewalk, helping old ladies with groceries, etc. But his lust for blood continues. After an attempted murder on a wife and it going awry with her boyfriend (unknown to him) being at the home, he calls a local radio station and speaks with a DJ about what he is - a vampire. Martin discusses his methods on a weekly basis, as a way to cope with his lonely path of killing and is deemed “The Count” by the DJ on the air. The DJ humors him as Martin says, “In real life, you can’t get people to do what you want them to do.
Color is also a huge aspect of Romero’s small film as his acts of killing his victims are in the darkness and his interactions with women are in floral, brought areas that compare to the black-and-white flashbacks of his young vampire life almost a century prior. Martin is a character study asking you, is he an “actual vampire” or just mentally ill? Its intention comes with the rejection of the ideal storytelling with saying that “good doesn’t always prevail.” The film’s finale solidifies his fate.
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Athena has been a die-hard horror film buff since her dad had her watch “Night of the Living Dead.” She loves the grotesque, monsters and more that symbolize the creatures we often see inside ourselves.
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Have you listened to our HORROR Podcast? This week on Beyond The Void Horror Podcast. We took on a few 90’s Lucio Fulci films! One that was written & Directed by him called Voices From Beyond (1991) and another that was a collaborative movie made with Dario Argento (and Lucio Fulci) called The Wax Mask (1997) Check it out! Listen on iTunes Here or on Spotify here!