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In 1978, director George Romero delved into the world of horror, and wrote the film Martin.[1]

Plot[]

The movie begins with Martin on a train from Indianapolis to Pittsburgh. He sees a woman that interests him, and later that night he breaks into her cabin. He injects her with narcotics, slices her wrist with a razor blade, and sucks her blood. Once in Pittsburgh, he gets off the train the next morning and sees an elderly man in all white and follows him. It is learned later on that it is Martin's relative named Tateh Cuda. They get on a train together to Braddock, Pennsylvania, where Tateh Cuda resides. Cuda is taking Martin in because there was a death in Martin's family, so Cuda is letting Martin stay with him.

Once they arrive at his house, Martin can tell that Cuda is very religious, with all of his blessed statues within home. The first thing Cuda says to Martin is, "Nosferatu."[2] He has the idea that Martin is a vampire, and tries to use stereotypical methods to fend off Martin, such as using garlic and crucifixes. Martin, not fazed by any of these fruitless attempts, says that this magic is nonsense and does not exist. Cuda then tells Martin that he is not allowed to speak to Christina, Martin's cousin. Also, if Martin kills anyone and he finds out about him, he will drive a stake through his heart.

220px-Martinfilmposter

Film Poster of the film Martin (1978).

Martin starts delivering meats for Cuda's meat shop, and meets a housewife named Mrs. Santini, who he seems to grow fond of. However, he starts to get thirsty for blood again, and heads back to Pittsburgh. He sees a woman at a market, and later tries to break into her house. To his dismay, he found her there with a lover, even though he thought her husband was out of town. He disarms the lover and sucks his blood, then sedates and rapes the woman. He returns to Braddock and starts to have an affair with Mrs. Santini, which makes him lose his thirst for women. He decides to feed on two homeless people, but then gets caught by the police and is chased by them. He narrowly escapes, and visits Mrs. Santini to check on her. Once at her house, he discovers that she has committed suicide. Cuda hears about her death and believes that Martin is the one to blame. As a result, he drives a stake through his heart, and buries him in the backyard.

References[]

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