The Manitou (1978)

Director:

William Girdler

Writers:

Jon Cedar (writer)
William Girdler (writer)

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:

Evil Spirit | Possession | Native American Legend | Possessed Human | Tumor

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:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mid-America Pictures

Trivia:

Last film of director William Girdler. Shortly before the film's release he was killed in a helicopter crash in the Philippines while scouting locations for an upcoming film.

Quotes:

Dr. Snow: What you have to understand is that the magic of ancient Indian tribes was very, very powerful. They were, in fact, one of the great magical societies of modern times, of pure ethnic occult art. And, er, they were,
[wiping bookcase]
Dr. Snow: Ugh, this is a mess! They were, er, undiluted with European conceptions and preconceptions. The whole concept of the Indians, the whole concept of life and death and inner space was rolled up in the Indians demon, the equivalent demon. That demon would be possessed of monstrous, monstrous power!
[...]

Movie Connections:

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

What a film!!!

This is a fabulously camp and funny film, watching Tony Curtis camping it up was hilarious, but it is still one of my most favourite films. Last year I managed to get a copy and excitedly I sat and watched it, remembering each part from the first time I had seen it, there were my children around me laughing hysterically at this "Frightening" film. I don't care what they think, "they don't make em like this anymore"