Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)

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.

Director:

Harold P. Warren

Writer:

Harold P. Warren (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Neyman, John Reynolds, Diane Adelson

Bottom Rated Movies #2 | See the Bottom Rated Movies as rated by our users.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Neyman	...	The Master
John Reynolds	...	Torgo
Diane Adelson	...	Margaret (as Diane Mahree)
Harold P. Warren	...	Michael (as Hal Warren)
Stephanie Nielson	...	Master's Wife
Sherry Proctor	...	Master's Wife
Robin Redd	...	Master's Wife
Jackey Neyman Jones	...	Debbie (as Jackey Neyman)
Bernie Rosenblum	...	Teenager in Car
Joyce Molleur	...	Teenager in Car
William Bryan Jennings	...	Cop
Jay Hall	...	Girl in Convertible
Bettye Birns	...	Master's Wife
Lelanie Hansard	...	Girl in Convertible
Pat Coburn	...	Master's Wife

Storyline

A family's driving across the country where they stumble across a mysterious house, inhabited by the satyr-man Torgo. When the family decide to stay over at the house, the family's mother is now the object of desire for Torgo and the owner of the house, The Master: a mysterious figure whom dresses in a black robe, decorated with red hands.

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Plot Keywords:

catfight | driving | dog | gun | luggage | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Lodge of Sins

Filming Locations:

Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Norm-Iris, Sun City Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.30 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As a publicity stunt, Harold P. Warren told the local press that the story was based on a Mexican urban legend. The account ended up in local newspapers shortly before the premiere.

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Goofs

Moths are attracted to the camera in night scenes. A big one flies by in the right side of the frame when Mike runs out to find Peppy, the family's dog.

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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!

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Crazy Credits

The End?

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Alternate Versions

Among the scenes edited from the film for its appearance on Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1993 were a short scene of the family taking a wrong turn en route to valley lodge, more scenes of the family fleeing the cult, and a scene of the Master repeatedly smacking his defiant wife.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Operation Double 007 (1993)

User Reviews

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.