The Manitou (1978)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

William Girdler

Writers:

Graham Masterton (novel)
William Girdler (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 January 1979 (France)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Evil does not die... It waits to be re-born!

Plot:

A psychic's girlfriend finds out that a lump on her back is a growing reincarnation of a 400 year-old demonic Native American spirit.

Plot Keywords:

Tumor | Doctor | Fetus | Hospital | Reincarnation

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Tony Curtis	...	Harry Erskine
Michael Ansara	...	John Singing Rock
Susan Strasberg	...	Karen Tandy
Stella Stevens	...	Amelia Crusoe
Jon Cedar	...	Dr. Jack Hughes
Ann Sothern	...	Mrs. Karmann
Burgess Meredith	...	Dr. Snow
Paul Mantee	...	Dr. McEvoy
Jeanette Nolan	...	Mrs. Winconis
Lurene Tuttle	...	Mrs. Herz
Hugh Corcoran	...	MacArthur
Ann Newman-Mantee	...	10th-Floor Nurse
Jan Heininger	...	Wolf, an orderly
Michael Laren	...	Michael, an orderly
Cindy Stanford	...	Neighbor

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:15 (re-rating) (1991) | UK:18 (re-rating) (1987) | UK:X (original rating) | Iceland:16 | USA:PG (re-rating on appeal) | USA:R (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | Norway:18

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mid-America Pictures

Trivia:

When this film was premiered in South Africa in 1978, the invitations were printed on vomit bags.

Quotes:

Dr. Snow: Just assume for a moment, sir, that this woman -- she's a young woman?
Harry Erskine: Yeah, a young woman.
Dr. Snow: Just assume that she has a problem, now now assume also this problem has to do with Indian magic. Well, my God, son, you do have one hell of a problem!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Empire of the Censors (1995) (TV)

Well, I liked it a lot!!

I saw this when it first came out in the theatres, with my sister---we loved it and were blown away!! I've since owned it on VHS, and now have the wonderful DVD that was just released. Honestly, given the year it was made and such, it's not a bad film at all, and is one I regularly watch!! Sure, it's a preposterous story, and the effects come off a little dated, but I thought the ensemble acting was great---loved seeing Ann Southern, Stella Stevens, Susan Strasburg, Tony Curtis Et Al tackling this unique idea for a horror film. I thought many, many scenes were intense (the séance scene is a highlight!), and loved how William Girdler interpreted the story. I actually rate this very high, and only ding it because of the slightly dated effects. "Hamlet", it ain't , but it's a very enjoyable horror-romp for the evening, perfect popcorn fodder!