28 March 2024
Manhattan Baby (1982)
89 min.
Directed by Lucio Fulci.
With Christopher Connelly, Martha Taylor, Brigitta Boccole, Giovanni Frezza, Cinzia De Ponti, Laurence Welles.
Lesser horror film from Lucio Fulci.

George and Emily Hacker (Connelly, Taylor) and their young daughter Susie (Boccole) travel to Egypt for the father's archaeological work.

Not long after they arrive, poor Susie is possessed by a bizarre amulet which an old gypsy woman gives to her as a gift. Meanwhile, her father is struck blind as he explores an ancient pyramid.

Not a good vacation. The Hackers return to the Big Apple, and the hope their luck will get better.

But things only get worse. Seems Susie has become further possessed by the mystical amulet from Egypt - and now it's taken over her little brother Tommy (Frezza) too!

As more unexplainable phenomena happens to the unfortunate Hackers, could it all have something to do with a strange symbol that George saw within the unearthed tomb back in Egypt?

If so, how can the curse be stopped?

Fun - minor - stuff here. Unfortunately, the plotline for Manhattan Baby is allowed to meander way too much.

Although Fulci give us some nice spirited doses of gore here & there, the whole thing plays out like a series of unrelated scenes, loosely linked together.

That said, Brigitta Boccole and Giovanni Frezza (the young boy from Fulci's House By the Cemetery and Lamberto Bava's A Blade In the Dark) are both very good. They're pleasing to watch, and never become grating or irritating.

Also known as Eye of the Evil Dead.

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