Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)

User Rating:

1.8/10   

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:

Low Budget Film | Dismemberment | Good Versus Evil | Jazz Music | Surrealism

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 (as Harold P. Warren)

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:

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:

Continuity: As the parents are talking to Debby after Peppy-the-poodle was killed, the gun and flashlight disappear from Mike's hands.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Futurama: Bender's Big Score (2007) (V)

Amazingly Awful!

The leading man is a Frank Zappa lookalike with only a fraction of the talent Zappa (being dead) has.

However, the real star of the film, Torgo (a goat-man), performed in some of the best walking-from-one-end-of-the-set-to-another scenes I have seen since 1950s Corman films.

Finally, the fights (or are they orgies?) between Manos' wives, which we are asked to believe to be deadly, are utterly hilarious.

The MST3K version of this incredibly dreadful bit of late 60s trashola is one of Joel and the Bots' best, but even their antics fail to make this movie wholly tolerable.

Rated: For Insomniacs Only.