The Manitou

Burgess Meredith's splendid cameo of an eccentric anthropologist almost justifies the price of a seat for this Exorcist spin-off. The victim this time (Strasberg) develops a nasty lump on her neck which, growing at an astonishing rate, turns out to be the foetus of a 400-year-old medicine man. Medical science proves impotent, Indian magic a mere half-measure, requiring good old 'love' to weigh in on the final cosmic shootout. The special effects are superb, easy winners in an engaging inter-denominational free-for-all that blends Marvel Comics' Doctor Strange with Corman's The Raven. A successful excursion, spoiled only by the director's habit of plopping in postcard views of the Golden Gate Bridge instead of exteriors. (From a novel by Graham Masterton.