Manhattan Baby (1982)

Director:

Lucio Fulci

Writers:

Elisa Briganti (screenplay)
Elisa Briganti (story)
(more)

Release Date:

27 July 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Little Susie is very young, very pretty, and very very evil!

Plot:

An archaelogist opens an Egyptian tomb and accidently releases an evil spirit. His young daughter becomes possessed by the freed enity and, upon arrival back in New York, the gory murders begin.

Plot Keywords:

Daughter | Sand | Possession | Bird Attack | Occult

Cast

Christopher Connelly	...	Professor George Hacker
Laura Lenzi	...	Emily Hacker (as Martha Taylor)
Brigitta Boccoli	...	Susie Hacker
Giovanni Frezza	...	Tommy Hacker
Cinzia de Ponti	...	Jamie Lee
Cosimo Cinieri	...	Adrian Mercato (as Laurence Welles)
Andrea Bosic	...	Optician
Carlo De Mejo	...	Luke
Enzo Marino Bellanich	...	Wiler (as Vincenzo Bellanich)
Mario Moretti	...	Tennant
Lucio Fulci	...	Dr. Forrester
Tonino Pulci	...	Orderly (as Antonie Pulci)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edward Mannix	...	Adrian Mercato (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Martin Sorrentino	...	Caretaker (uncredited)
Frank von Kuegelgen	...	Luke (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Lucio Fulci

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Elisa Briganti		screenplay (as Elisa Livia Briganti)
Elisa Briganti		story (as Elisa Livia Briganti)
Dardano Sacchetti		screenplay
Dardano Sacchetti		story

Produced by
Fabrizio De Angelis	....	producer

Original Music by
Fabio Frizzi

Cinematography by
Guglielmo Mancori

Film Editing by
Vincenzo Tomassi

Production Design by
Massimo Lentini

Costume Design by
Massimo Lentini

Makeup Department
Carboni	....	wig maker
Antonio Maltempo	....	makeup artist
Rocchetti	....	wig maker
Maurizio Trani	....	makeup artist
Luciano Vito	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Palmira De Negri	....	production manager
Paolo Gargano	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roberto Giandalia	....	assistant director

Art Department
Mariangela Capuano	....	assistant production designer
Rodolfo Ruzza	....	props

Sound Department
Eros Giustini	....	sound
Bruno Moreal	....	sound mixer
Guglielmo Smeraldi	....	boom operator

Camera and Electrical Department
Francesco Bellomo	....	still photographer (as Franco Bellomo)
Franco Brescini	....	chief electrician
Ennio Brizzolari	....	key grip
Franco Bruni	....	camera operator
Adriano Mancori	....	assistant camera
Aldo Marchiori	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Maria Spigarelli	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Rita Antonelli	....	assistant editor
Pietro Tomassi	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Rita Agostini	....	continuity
Antonio Benetti	....	laboratory photography
Pino Colizzi	....	dubbing director
Alfredo D'Angelo	....	tapestry (as D'Angelo)
Rick Dallago	....	location manager
Roberto Pace	....	set technician
E. Rancati	....	furniture
Luca Santolini	....	production secretary
Otello Tomassini	....	administrator
Otello Tomassini	....	cashier
Fabio Traversari	....	set technician

Production Companies

• Fulvia Film

Distributors

• Fulvia Film (1982) (Italy) (theatrical)
• 21st Century Film Corporation (1984) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Lightning Video (1986) (USA) (VHS) (dubbed) (as The Possessed)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Aquarius TV (2004) (Greece) (DVD)
• Aquarius TV (2004) (Greece) (TV)
• Stomp Visual (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Beam Entertainment (Japan) (DVD producer)
• Blue Underground (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Creative Axa Co. Ltd. (Japan) (DVD)
• Deimos Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Hoyts Distribution
• Videocast (198?) (Brazil) (VHS) (rumored)
• Vídeo Ban (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Eye of the Evil Dead" - USA (dubbed version)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Telecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Italy:VM14 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16 | UK:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Portugal:M/18 | Hong Kong:III

Filming Locations:

Cairo, Egypt

Company:

Fulvia Film

Trivia:

The name of the character Adrian Marcato is borrowed from Rosemary's Baby (1968).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: On the end of the movie, when Adrian Mercato is attacked by the birds, a thread is visible, holding one of the birds.

Movie Connections:

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Mother!! Make it STOP!!!

This one is enough to test the patience of even the most tolerant fan of horror films with an "elliptical" narrative. For me, "Manhattan Baby" was a no-win situation.

The opening was halfway decent, albeit entirely unoriginal: an archaeologist ventures into the proverbial "cursed tomb". At the same time, his daughter is visited by a strange woman with white eyes who gives her a silly-looking medallion.

The father is blinded and upon their return to "Manhattan", the strange things begin to happen. The film was immediately plunged into "uh-oh" territory the moment I realized the young girl had a brother--none other than the annoying little blonde-haired moppet from "House By The Cemetery", even more terribly dubbed than in that film, and just as grotesque.

The film lags in several areas. First off, there is no suspense. The film never makes it entirely clear what is happening whenever something does happen. The kids disappear into their closet, screaming, but then reappear as if nothing has happened (and the parents never notice). Other people disappear into bright lights and never return. Characters recoil in horror from insert-shots of snakes and scorpions, but then suddenly seem as if everything is fine and the snake was never there. Some miscellaneous characters die in weird ways, like a security guard who takes an unfortunate elevator ride. Is he even missed by anybody? We never know. There is an "au pair" girl who suddenly turns up missing. The children smile cryptically to each other when the parents ask where she went. Do the parents inform the authorities that their babysitter is missing? Of course not.

There are some silly references to "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist", too, none of which seem clever or surprising. There is too much logic sidestepped and nothing to take its place. The special effects are muddled, at best. The score by Fabio Frizzi is recycled (cannibalized?) from his own score for "Zombi 2". The climax of the film is ridiculous.

This movie might make your head hurt, or your eyes close.