Neglected, underrated, low-budget vampire masterpiece!

'Martin' is a revelation! If you like your horror gritty, urban, edgy, modern, culty and unusual then this could be for you. It's by cult horrormeister George A. Romero, the director noted for seminal zombie flicks such as the classic 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'Dawn of the Dead'. 'Martin' is the story of a dysfunctional, troubled youth who may or may not be a vampire. The film charts his exploits and encounters as he runs amok through suburban Pennsylvania. What you have here is the alienated angst of 'Rebel Without a Cause' combined with the schlock low budget horror feel of an Argento film like, for example, 'Tenebrae'. 'Martin' also reminded me of 'The Exorcist' in its dealing with the supernatural, spiritual and exorcism - in fact, 'The Exorcist' is even mentioned at one point in the film, perhaps as a nod to its influence. And the flashbacks to a younger, more traditional vampiric Martin also worked well. It left one wondering whether the flashbacks were real or just simply the deluded daydreams of a troubled teenage mind. Standout performances come from John Amplas as the lead and the charismatic Lincoln Maazel as Martin's uncle, Tada Cuda. The disc comes with an informative German documentary with English subtitles charting Romero's career. Romero is on record as saying this is his favourite of all his films. If you are a fan of his work, that should be recommendation enough!