Manhattan Baby

(1982)

A later effort of Lucio Fulci. Little Susie Harker obtains an Egyptian amulet which opens up a huge can of worms for her and her family. The amulet zaps her father, Professor George Hacker giving him temporary blindness in the tomb where it was found. They return to New York so George can recover and strange things begin to happen. Susie and then her brother Tommy begin to take “voyages” that Susie calls the game. In these voyages they sort of astro-project to Egypt and other places, sometimes bringing items back with them.


The voyages are kinda fun for the kids but not so for anyone else who happens to get caught into one. Susie's parents seek the help of Dr. Forrester played by Fulci himself. They must release her from the hold of the Egyptian curse before they lose her forever.


This is not Fulci's finest moment in film. The story is hard to follow. So hard in fact that I was close to half way through the film before I figured out what was happening. At least I think I figured it out, way too confusing.


The same blond haired, blue eyed boy is in this as was in The House by the Cemetery that I reviewed last year. He's not nearly as annoyingly perfect in this film though. There are some shooting laser effects that are so very 80's, it really dates it. The ancient Egyptian amulet looks like a cheap piece of junk jewelry. I could nit pick all day and believe me there's plenty to nit pick at. There is some saving grace in a scene with pecking birds and a fall onto a spiked floor, overall though it's not really good. I do not remember this movie at all. Considering this film was released in1982, the year I graduated high school and my love for horror that tells me it mustn't have done well at that time either. I love Fulci but had I known what I was in for I would have passed on Manhattan Baby.