Martin

One of the undisputed classics of horror cinema, George Romero's Martin has received a 4K restoration supervised and approved by its original DoP, Michael Gornick, for this Blu-ray release from Second Sight. Like the film's protagonist, it looks incredibly good for its age, and it's presented with a suite of extras which will provide hours of pleasure for any fan.

Often audio commentaries run out of steam after a little while. By contrast, the first two of these, which have also been restored from the archives and feature George Romero himself amongst others, will leave you feeling as if the conversation has been cut off prematurely - but not in a bad way. Romero's enthusiasm for his subjects never waned, and here he demonstrates an impressive memory for the cast and crew members and even extras who brought Martin to life. Despite his prodigious talent, it was always apparent that part of his success as a filmmaker came down to his interest in people and ability to forge connections, and he's tremendously entertaining to listen to in experiences enriched by the presence of other great contributors including the film's star, John Amplas, and special effects master Tom Savini.

It's difficult for the other commentaries to measure up to this, but no-one is likely to complain about getting a bit extra. Travis Crawford likewise manages to keep coming up with interesting information right across the running time, and does a lot to place the film in its proper historical context, as well as directing viewers to further resources which they might enjoy. Both her and fellow critic Kat Ellinger serve to bring the conversation up to date. The latter's commentary is more emotive than informational, but some viewers will doubtless connect with that, and given the focus of some of the scenes, having a female perspective on the film is valuable.

Accompanying documentary Taste The Blood Of Martin goes into depth about the film's origins, gives viewers a chance to explore the town where it was set, and even manages to squeeze in a love story. There's a bit of overlap with the archive commentaries but more than enough additional material to keep viewers watching, and it's much more substantial than the average Blu-ray or DVD special feature.

Scoring The Shadows, in which composer Donald Rubinstein reflects on the process of developing the film's music, adding historical context and touching on how influential it has become, is a treat for anyone with an interest in this area, and of course, there are plenty of further opportunities to enjoy that music here, such as in additional mini-doc Making Martin, which builds on earlier observations about the production process. Also present here is a curious little archive film which provides a further chance to get to know the town; and, finally, there are television and radio trailers.

All in all, this is an extremely impressive package, and one which you can enjoy over several days or weeks. It has a lot to teach to low budget filmmakers in any genre, and if you just want to know more about the story, it won't disappoint.