Coming of age is difficult for just about everybody, but it's even more so when you happen to be young adult vampire. At least Martin thinks he is, a vampire that is, and maybe he is or maybe not, in this overlooked, modest little horror gem from Night of the Living Dead creator, George A. Romero. I got turned onto this movie by a friend who insisted I see it and I loved it so much that I named the last cat I had after the titular lead character.
The story follows the young Martin, who moves to live with his cousin's rather hostile family. It's a particularly dysfunctional home and made even more so as Martin struggles to keep his somewhat homicidal tendencies in check. Though he is convinced he is a real vampire, Martin is pretty contemporary and doesn't get bothered by the usual mythology and superstitions surrounding the concept. He's okay going out in the daytime and isn't bothered by his cousin's attempts to save his soul by brandishing crosses and compelling him with religious rites.
Like Romero's treatment of the "zombie" genre, he puts his own spin on these tropes and grounds them in a gritty realism which results in some pretty intense gore scenes and violence between Martin and his victims. Romero's neatest trick here is to somehow make Martin sympathetic, despite his brutal nocturnal proclivities. It is no mean feat to cast Martin as the protagonist in this film, given his nature and the results of his actions.
As is the central talent of the film maker, Romero manages to make some pointed social commentary and explore some meaningful relationships between the blood and the beatings. It's a surprising film if you're in the mood for a bit of brutality with some intellectual intersections.
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