The Manitou (1978) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - May 11, 1978

The film version of The Manitou first dinged my burgeoning horror geek radar when I perused the paperback movie tie-in edition at our local Gemco. I remember being unnerved by the color photos on the back cover and, I believe, that were in the center of the book. It looked far too scary for me.

Years later I would finally catch up with the film on home video, or television, and be both amused and somewhat unnerved by it. While the movie is awash with over the top cheesy zaniness, it also has one or two really effective moments. The best of which, I argue, is the birthing sequence. It really works and also shows that the late William Girdler had legit talent as a director. Who knows what he might have done, if he had he lived.