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

Directed by
Harold P. Warren

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
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)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (????) (USA) (video)

Other Companies

• City and County of El Paso  sincere thanks
• Eastman Color  color (as Eastman)
• Glen Glenn Sound  optical sound
• Producer Service Inc.  sound recording

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:

Writer/director/producer/actor Harold P. Warren was a fertilizer salesman from El Paso. He made a bet with visiting location scout Stirling Silliphant (later an award-winning screenwriter himself) that he could make a popular horror film on an extremely minimal budget.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Michael and his family are attacked by the snake, the stock footage of the snake was obviously filmed in broad daylight, even though the characters are surrounded by the dead of night.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Undead (2003)

Look no further--this is the worst

Every so often, someone comes onto IMDb (or a similar forum) and declares that such-and-such a film is, and I quote, "THE WORST MOVIE EVER!!!" Usually the culprit is the latest big-budget, little-story extravaganza, or some popular work receiving its expected share of backlash. I always laugh a bit when people do this. Clearly, these innocent souls have never seen an episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000." Specifically, they have never been exposed to the horror that is "Manos: The Hands of Fate." Sure, plenty of movies are bad, but usually if you look hard enough, you can see some evidence that someone on board had at least a vague idea of how to make a film work. Not "Manos." There is not a single shred of competence to be found anywhere in it. It fails on every conceivable level: direction, acting, script, cinematography, sets, costumes, effects, sound, music. Throw in some of the most irritating and idiotic characters you'll ever see, a lot of disturbing sexual subtext, and the result is this pile of cinematic excrement.

The story...well, I guess it's supposed to be one of those "innocents get lost and stumble upon supernatural evil" deals. Actually, it's more like an "irritating family gets lost and stumbles upon a group of vague cultists and their creepy hired hand Torgo" deal. Anyway, things happen, arguments go in circles, the mom of the family yells for her husband so much you wonder how she ties her shoes in the morning without him, the husband makes so many wrong decisions you wonder if he'd be any help with the shoe-tying thing, and the female cultists get into an extended wrestling match, revealing that under their diaphanous Grecian robes they're wearing modern bras and underwear.

There's much more, of course, but "Manos" is like a train wreck, or a natural disaster: I could describe it to you, but you'd never understand the full level of horror unless you witness it for yourself. So go ahead, watch it, I dare you. At least you can take comfort in the knowledge that, after you've seen it, nothing else you watch will be quite so bad.