20. “Martin” (George A. Romero, 1977)
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George A. Romero practically invented the zombie genre, but the director’s favorite of his films actually stars a vampire. Well, maybe. The unusual and melancholic “Martin” stars John Amplas as the titular young man who, despite his lack of fangs, frequently murders strangers and consumes their blood. According to strange visions Martin has and the ramblings of his elderly cousin Cuda (Lincoln Maazel), the completely ordinary man is actually an immortal vampire, but Cuda’s granddaughter Christina (Christine Forrest) is skeptical of their claims. Whether Martin’s vampirism is authentic or delusion isn’t expressly answered, but the film’s downbeat, uneasy commentary on the impact fiction has on our perception of the world and humanity’s capacity for violence makes it one of the vampire genre’s most fascinating and singular entries. —WC