Manhattan Baby (1982)
Using Stoker's Jewel of the Seven Stars as it's primary inspiration, Lucio Fulci's Manhattan Baby fails on so many levels. The story is a difficult one to make interesting for cinema goers as other film makers (The Awakening, Blood From the Mummy's Tomb) have found out. To that end Fulci adds elements from The Exorcist into the mix as the film spirals into an incoherent mess.
Having said that, the film isn't just about the sum of it's parts, it's almost a series of vignettes thrown together from which Fulci hoped to assemble some sort of story. Sadly they don't. What we do get is a nicely shot movie with good Egyptian and New York location work with each sequence adding it's own weirdness to the overall film. Barely five minutes passes without something horrific or interesting happening, meaning, despite it's story line or lack of it, the film still has a lot of entertainment value. Take the bird attack at the finale. It's resplendent with trademark Fulci gore yet also shockingly amateurish in it's execution. Despite all these 'things' happening Manhattan Baby lacks thrills and it isn't in the least bit gripping.
As a final thought it's worth asking why on earth Fulci thought the extremely irritating Giovanni Frezza would be a good addition as a child actor. He was bad enough as Bob in House by the Cemetery withoud him showcasing his talents here as well.
Manhattan Baby may be from Fulci's classic era but it isn't classic Fulci, it isn't even good Fulci but it is weirdly watchable Fulci. In a fashion.
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