Podcast: Martin
A look at George A. Romero's bleak, pitch-black not-quite-a-vampire movie
99 Cent Rental Podcast
Episode 57: Martin
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon | Goodpods | Youtube | Podcast Addict
99 Cent Rental is a comedy podcast revisiting the low-budget action, comedy, and science fiction films that clogged video store shelves throughout the 1980s and early 90s.
Every other week, hosts Bryan and Dave White, hosts of the Bring Me The Axe! horror podcast, dive deep into the nearly forgotten world of ninjas, breakdancers, skateboarders, action hero knockoffs, and Cold War paranoia that embodied the excess and over-the-top attitude of the 1980s and celebrate them for everything they were and weren’t.
This week we take on George Romero’s Martin from 1977. Is it a vampire movie? Maybe if you squint at it just right. Martin doesn’t fit neatly into any genre and for that we’re at a loss to properly define it. But one thing is for sure, this is our favorite non-zombie Romero movie. It’s a very weird, very European movie with artsy tendencies and a good idea of where George Romer’s career may have gone had he not been repeatedly dragged back to the zombie well.
In Martin, the eponymous young man drifts from house to house, a ward of a highly superstitious family who pass him around as a burden that must be contained lest his bloodlust lead him to mayhem and carnage but here’s the problem: Martin doesn’t seem to actually be a vampire. He walks around during the day, holy symbols and vampire wards have no effect on him. But he is no less monstrous, being an actual serial killer. The question remains, does Martin kill because he’s been told for so long that he’s a monster?
Sample
Support us on Patreon for 5 bonus episodes a month!
Join the Discord to talk movies with us and other listeners!
Get yourself a nice Bring Me The Axe! or 99 Cent Rental shirt or hoodie!