Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)

Director:

Harold P. Warren

Writer:

Harold P. Warren (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 November 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

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

Plot:

A family gets lost on the road and stumbles upon a hidden, underground, devil-worshiping cult led by the fearsome Master and his servant Torgo.

Plot Keywords:

Master | Torgo | Lost | Cult | Dog

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
Pat Sullivan	...	Girl in Convertible
George Cavender	...	Cop

Directed by
Harold P. Warren

Writing credits
Harold P. Warren		(screenplay)

Produced by
Harold P. Warren	....	producer

Original Music by
Russ Huddleston
Robert Smith Jr.

Cinematography by
Robert Guidry		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ernie Smith
James A. Sullivan		(as James Sullivan)

Costume Design by
Thomas Ivy

Makeup Department
Jacqueline Neyman	....	makeup artist (as Jacqueline)

Production Management
Jay O. Lawrence	....	production supervisor

Art Department
Tom Neyman	....	set designer
Stephane Goulet	....	property painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Bruce Shearin	....	sound

Stunts
Joyce Molleur	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bernie Rosenblum	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bernie Rosenblum	....	key grip (as Frank Bernard Rosenblum)
Jesse Simon	....	head electrician

Other crew
Norma Friedman	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Norm-Iris
• Sun City Films (presents)

Distributors

• Emerson Film Enterprises (1966) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rhino Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Rhino Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Oldies.com (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Rhino Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• PR Studios (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Shout! Factory (2011) (USA) (DVD) (two disc special edition)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (????) (USA) (video)

Other Companies

• City and County of El Paso  our sincere thanks to: for their cooperation (as The City & County of El Paso)
• Eastman Color  color (as Eastman)
• Glen Glenn Sound Company  optical sound
• Producer Service Inc.  sound recording

Also Known As:

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) (2008) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

El Paso, Texas, USA

Company:

Norm-Iris

Trivia:

"Manos" is Spanish for "hands". Translated, the title is "Hands: The Hands of Fate". The Master's outfit has two red hands on it and Torgo's walking stick has a hand on top of it.

Goofs:

Continuity: When The Master is waving Torgo's stick at him, he waves it slowly side-to-side from Torgo's point of view. Seen from behind, he jerks it around quickly.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Margaret:We're almost there, honey. Just a little while longer and your vacation starts.
Debbie:I'm getting cold, mother, and hungry!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Elvira's Movie Macabre: Untamed Women (#1.13)" (2011)

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!