Manhattan BabyManhattan Baby, considered a failure by many critics that wanted Fulci to conform to the formula of horror that made him successful, was actually one of his more entertaining movies. This was because it did break from the proverbial mould, building more on a storyline and an ever-present, overwhelming scene of doom. Unlike many of his earlier movies (Zombie, The Beyond) that brought this bleak overview with them as well, Lucio decided to try a new avenue in this presentation, one that only briefly sprinkled gore into the cinematic formula, causing much of the fallout experienced. He said that he wanted to present a more metaphysical terror, using a small array of special effects in the process, that would give his film a more Catholicist, "evil can be beaten but not truly destroyed," mentality. Well, mission accomplished. The storyline, with its Egyptian focal point, deals with the manifestation of an ancient evil that is awaken (and overused) by a little girl after her foolishly curious archeologist father prods at things best left alone. It has some nice scenes with pieces of dark humor mixed together with catchy "manifesations/proofs of the dark forces present," plus some humorously cheap scenes that keep the movie from taking itself too serious. All in all, its fun and a bit dark at the same time, and is a good film for horror lovers/Lucio fans that remember his Sci-fi trials/Westerners and not simply his gore films.
NewYork RipperSometimes it seems that Lucio, one of the better gore/horror directors to have ever graced the screen, and his releases, ranging from Zombie, The Beyond, Demonia, The New Gladiators, Four of the Apocalypse, can't get a break. Well, The New York Ripper, overly wrought with commentary about unpleasantry that "shocks" and an "overriding unpleasantness (that) makes it an acquired taste at best," is no exception to the bias rule. Railroaded by critics for a sadistic approach to serial killing (and leaving me to wonder when serial killing became a flower picking contest in the process) and then banned by most international venues except in the most butchered formats, this exceptionally brutal film mingles many facets together to paint a bleak rendition of what drives men to murder. We are given the oddities of a serial killer that chooses a Donald Ducklike voice (which is later explained in the movie) as he vents his anger on the unsuspecting female population of New York and plays mind games with the detective supposedly hot on his trail. Filled with razor blades slicing through varied body parts, throats meeting unfortunate demises, people acquiring unfortunate limps, and an almost sad ending, this movies meets the criteria of something pleasantly contrived.
If you adhere to the opinions of the general public, then perhaps the horror of Field of Dreams would be more to your liking. On the other hand, if you enjoy a fully uncut presentation of gore and serial killing, you'll love this.
