The Manitou

The Manitou is a 1978 American supernatural body horror film produced and directed by William Girdler. It stars Tony Curtis, Michael Ansara and Susan Strasberg. It is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Graham Masterton, which was inspired by the concept of manitou in Native American theology, believed to be a spiritual and fundamental life force by members of the Algonquian peoples.

Girdler died in a helicopter accident prior to the film's release.

Plot
Karen Tandy (Susan Strasberg) suffers from a growing tumor on her neck and seeks treatment at a hospital in San Francisco. After a series of X-rays, Dr. Jack Hughes (Jon Cedar) finds evidence that the tumor is a growing fetus. Karen agrees to undergo surgery to remove the tumor. She seeks the comfort of an old friend and ex-employer named Harry Erskine (Tony Curtis), a fortune teller who preys on the gullible to make a living. While spending the night at Harry's place, Karen utters a phrase that sounds like "pana witchy salatoo" in her sleep. When Harry mentions the phrase the next day, Karen claims she never heard it before.

Karen's operation goes awry when the surgeon's hands shake, causing him to slice his own hand with a scalpel. Meanwhile, one of Harry's clients suffers a seizure and utters the same phrase spoken by Karen; she levitates out of the room and falls down the staircase. Convinced that Karen is being afflicted by black magic, Harry consults a former psychic named Amelia Caruso (Stella Stevens) and her partner, MacArthur (Hugh Corcoran). They and Amelia's aunt, Mrs. Karmann (Ann Sothern), visit Karen's home, where they hold a seance to draw out the spirit attacking Karen. A violent thunderstorm hinders their efforts. Mrs. Karmann declares that the figure she saw resembled a wooden statue of an Indian.

Harry, Amelia and MacArthur visit aging anthropologist Dr. Snow (Burgess Meredith), who recounts tales of 400-year-old Indian medicine men wielding great powers. Upon hearing the strange phrase, Dr. Snow deduces it partially to be as "my death foretells my return." Unable to help them directly, he advises them that they should seek the council of the vestigial Indian medicine men now surviving in the remote parts. Harry visits John Singing Rock, (Michael Ansara) a medicine man who tells him about manitou, spirits who exist in everything surrounding them. He refuses Harry's plea for help but later changes his mind, requesting $100,000 and tobacco in exchange for his services.

Harry and John reach the hospital and draw a circle of sand around Karen's bed in order to limit the spirit using her body. Through Karen, the spirit reveals himself to be an old Native American shaman, Misquamacus, who is reincarnating himself through the young woman to exact his revenge on the white men who invaded North America and exterminated its native peoples. He further warns John against helping white men such as Harry and Karen. John prepares to stop Misquamacus' growing power and calls upon the strength of other manitou, to no avail.

Misquamacus kills a male nurse and claws its way out from Karen's neck, appearing as a dwarf-sized man. It also reanimates the dead nurse to harm others, but John manages to stop it. In another encounter, Misquamacus summons an ancient Indian demon by the name of the Lizard of the Tree while managing to erase the sand circle to harm Dr. Hughes. After Harry takes Hughes to the lower levels to treat his wounds, he returns to find the entire floor covered in ice; the receptionist is frozen solid.

Harry finds John sitting alone in the room. John explains that Misquamacus inflicted wounds on his face with surgical instruments. As they are about to leave, they are faced with Misquamacus caught amidst a snowstorm caused by summoning of another demon called the Star Beast. In the altercation, Harry throws a typewriter towards Misquamacus, which temporarily weakens it, allowing he and John to escape. Harry comes up with the idea of using the manitou of electrical equipment surrounding them. John reluctantly agrees and proposes he will act as a medium for these manitou to manifest themselves. As they are discussing the plan, the entire room shakes with a violent earthquake, which John reveals as the coming of the Great Old One, a powerful demon, through a portal opened by Misquamacus.

Harry instructs Dr. Hughes to switch on all the machines in the hospital while he and John travel towards Misquamacus. They find Karen inside a room filled with space illusion. John tries to channel the machine manitou but is unsuccessful. He accepts defeat, but Harry refuses to give in. He tries to distract the spirit while calling on Karen. Karen gains consciousness and channels the machine manitou to finally defeat Misquamacus and the Great Old One behind the portal. As the ordeal is over, Harry and Karen are reunited. Harry accompanies John to a cab for the airport, thanking him for his help. John thanks him back and warns that they might meet Misquamacus once again for though its body may be destroyed, its ethereal form lives.

Cast

 * Tony Curtis as Harry Erskine
 * Michael Ansara as John Singing Rock
 * Susan Strasberg as Karen Tandy
 * Stella Stevens as Amelia Caruso
 * Jon Cedar as Dr. Jack Hughes
 * Ann Sothern as Mrs. Karmann
 * Burgess Meredith as Dr. Snow
 * Paul Mantee as Dr. McEvoy
 * Jeanette Nolan as Mrs. Winconis
 * Lurene Tuttle as Mrs. Herz
 * Hugh Corcoran as MacArthur

Release
The film was released theatrically by AVCO Embassy Pictures on April 28, 1978, in New York, and May 17, 1978, in Los Angeles. The film was released on DVD by Momentum Pictures on October 24, 2005. It was re-released on Blu-ray by Anchor Bay Entertainment on March 6, 2007.

According to the Anchor Bay Blu-ray release, the original negative is lost, and the film had to be restored from alternate elements.

Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Manitou has a 40% approval rating based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The staff of Variety wrote, "This bout between good and Satan includes some scares, camp and better than average credits". Time Out's Derek Adams praised the film's special effects and called the film "a successful excursion, spoiled only by the director's habit of plopping in postcard views of the Golden Gate Bridge instead of exteriors". Donald Guarisco of AllMovie criticized the film's script and direction but complimented the acting, special effects and ending. Author John Kenneth Muir wrote the film has "an infectious feeling of fun" despite being "patently absurd".

Masterton, who wrote the source novel, said he "liked it a lot".