AllMovie

Of more than 50 films directed by the late Lucio Fulci, this ridiculous mess must rank near the very bottom. That's not entirely Fulci's fault, as the script -- by veteran Elisa Livia Briganti and the ubiquitous Dardano Sacchetti -- is all over the map. Borrowing liberally from sources as diverse as Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Awakening, Psycho, and even The Birds, this is little more than a confusing, moronic collection of visual references and in-jokes. Even the best director couldn't make this story work, but Fulci only makes matters worse by indulging in his penchant for eyeball close-ups to a ridiculous degree. It's not bad enough that the medallion is in the shape of an eye; Susie's father is blinded and her mother is a photographer, but there are countless close-ups of every single character's eyes in every scene. At one point, Fulci shifts back and forth between close-ups of three characters' eyes for no apparent reason. To top it all off, Luke wears those joke glasses with the eyes that fall out on springs. Manhattan Baby is a pointless and stupid film of no possible interest to anyone except demented opticians.