Made under the working title of “L'Occhio del Male” (Eye of the Evil Dead) “Manhattan Baby” from Italian splattermeister, Lucio Fulci, is one of the most incoherent and confusing movies I’ve ever watched. Despite the total incoherence, however, there is still much to admire, particularly the beautiful photography of cinematographer Guglielmo Mancori. From what I could make out, the story (by Dardano Sacchetti and Elisa Briganti) revolves around Egyptologist George Hacker (Christopher Connelly), his wife Emily (Laura Lenzi) and daughter Susie (Brigitta Boccoli) who are on holiday in Egypt. When George goes for a rumble about in a previously unexplored tomb he is struck blind, while at the same time Susie meets a strange blind woman who gives her a mysterious amulet. On returning to New York Susie begins to act strangely, with the amulet affecting a strange influence on her and younger brother Tommy (Giovanni Frezza) who had stayed behind in New York with au pair Jamie-Lee (Cinzia De Ponti). Strange portals appear into which people disappear and cobras and scorpions jump out to kill people. A woman pops up to pass on to George details of a occultist called Adrian Marcato (Laurence Welles) who may be able to assist his possessed family. The disappeared Jamie-Lee returns as some form of zombie and Marcato saves the day by taking the possessing spirit into himself – unfortunately this causes his stuffed birds to come to life and kill him. This is a really odd effort from Fulci and although its not without some merit, it is undoubtedly one of his weakest films. Dardano Sacchetti has stated that this was an attempt on Fulci’s part to take his approach to horror in a new direction and indeed “Manhattan Baby” comes across more as a supernatural thriller than the type of splattery, gorefest's most associated with Fulci. It is therefore ironic that the best scene in the film is the goriest when the stuffed birds (wires and all) come to life and viciously peck and rip Marcato to death. The film is incredibly talky and incoherent and it is therefore difficult to be fully aware of what’s happening at any given point – this gives the whole thing a strange dreamlike and surrealistic quality. Plenty of bizarre imagery pops up, which is interesting of itself, but usually doesn’t add to the narrative and therefore simply builds the all round bafflement. The acting is pretty wooden, with Fulci himself appearing in a speaking role as a doctor in the hospital where Susie is eventually taken. Holding all this together is Guglielmo Mancori’s cinematography, which is excellent throughout. The opening sequence, shot around the pyramids, is highly impressive and atmospheric – some of the cleverest and most unusual shots of ancient archaeology you’ll ever see. Fulci uses these shots and the mystery surrounding the ruins and artefacts to great effect and really conjures up an eerie, foreboding atmosphere – unfortunately this feel is lost when the film relocates to New York. Overall then “Manhattan Baby” is a beautifully shot film that is decent to look at throughout and a film with a strange dreamy / nightmarish feel. These positive points are, however, totally undermined by an incredibly messy and incoherent story. It is well worth a look, but should be approached with real caution if you like your narrative clear, straight-forward and linear. ( )