Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)

User Rating:

1.5/10   

Director:

Harold P. Warren

Writer:

Harold P. Warren (screenplay)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

It's Shocking! It's Beyond Your Imagination!

Plot:

Classic low budget horror about a family getting lost and stumbling upon a hidden, underground, devil-worshiping cult led by the fearsome Master and his servant Torgo.

Plot Keywords:

Master | Torgo | Lost | Cult | Driving

Cast

Tom Neyman	...	The Master
John Reynolds	...	Torgo
Diane Mahree	...	Margaret
Harold P. Warren	...	Michael (as Hal Warren)
Stephanie Nielson	...	Master's Wife
Sherry Proctor	...	Master's Wife
Robin Redd	...	Master's Wife
Jackey Neyman	...	Debbie
Bernie Rosenblum	...	Teenager in Car
Joyce Molleur	...	Teenager in Car
William Bryan Jennings	...	Cop
Jay Hall	...	Master's Wife
Bettie Burns	...	Master's Wife
Lelanie Hansard	...	Master's Wife
Pat Coburn	...	Girl in Convertible

Also Known As:

The Lodge of Sins (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

El Paso, Texas, USA

Company:

Norm-Iris

Trivia:

The movie was given a gala premiere in El Paso upon its release, and many local dignitaries were on hand. Part way into the film, members of the audience began heckling it. Many of the film's cast and crew sneaked out of the theater before the film ended to avoid the embarrassment of having to admit being part of it.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the cop slams his car door to have a talk with the teens in the car, the sound effect is delayed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Debbie: Mom, I'm cold.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Planet X: (#2.1)" (2006)

Your eyes and ears will BLEED!

Some films are so bad, they're good. Meaning "fun" or "entertaining" or at least "interesting"... But few films can claim to be so dreadful, you actually feel physical pain while viewing them. So bad are these damned few that you don't experience them or watch them: you "endure" them. This is the mother of all such films!

"Manos the hands of fate" is without a doubt the most inept and atrociously awful film ever made. Its poorness is so extreme that of itself it is the film's strongest selling emphasis. The script is non-existent, the acting makes Steven Seagal look like a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the editing could have less horrendously botched by a blind Eskimo with no arms. It is also painfully slow. this film makes its approximately 70 minute running time and make you feel like you've aged ten years. That's what makes a film truly bad: the fact that despite its overbearing weaknesses it isn't even entertaining!

Many people look back at the sixties and think, with obvious resentment for today's cinematic output, that "they don't make them like this anymore!". Watching "Manos..." would cure any breed of hardcore nostalgia.

In the end I can not advise against this strongly enough. This is for the sadist in you. Any other part of your person can only feel pained or offended by such extreme trash!