For years I have had my DVD recording from TCM, but now I have the beautiful Blu-ray from Shout.
The story starts with a young woman who seems to have a strange growth on her neck that is growing at an alarming rate. The woman, Karen Tandy (Susan Strasberg) is set up for surgery and contacts her old friend Harry Erskine (Tony Curtis) for support.
During the surgery the head surgeon Dr. Jack Hughes (Jon Cedar) ends up cutting his own hand when he attempts to cut off the growth.
We soon learn that the growth is that of a 400 year old Indian God that is trying to be reborn. As the growth gets even bigger Erskine contacts a modern American Indian medicine man named John Singing Rock (Michael Ansara).
This sets up an interesting battle between ancient magic and modern technology in a modern San Francisco hospital. Some of the effects are a little lacking, but hey, who cares. Director William Grefe handles everything very well as usual, and even though this movie covers a ton of different topics and beliefs, it is still handled in excellent fashion.
The cast of the film also includes Stella Stevens, Paul Mantee, Burgess Meredeth, Ann Southern, Lauren Tuttle, and Inez Perez.
One of the most enjoyable films to come out in the late 70's and it finally gets a chance to shine on Blu. The quality is beautiful and it's even more so when you consider that the negative to the film is missing and Shout had to work with a 35mm print.
The Manitou is a one of a kind film and I can't recommend it enough to horror fans. One of the best releases of the year so far.
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