Manos, the Hands of Fate

Director: Hal P. Warren Hal P. Warren

Overview

A family vacation to Texas turns into a waking nightmare when they have a deadly run-in with Satanists fond of using human hands as sacrificial offerings. It's as grim as it sounds.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/13/2015
UPC:	0654930317594
Original Release:	1966
Rating:	NR
Source:	Synapse Films
Language:	English
Time:	1:14:00
Sales rank:	45,717

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tom Neyman	The Master
Diane Mahree	Margaret
Hal Warren	Michael,Actor
John Reynolds	Torgo
Jackey Neyman	Actor
Robert Smith, Jr.	Composer
Russ Huddleston	Composer

Technical Credits

Hal P. Warren

Hal P. Warren	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
William Brian Jennings	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

Manos, the Hands of Fate is the sole production of Hal P. Warren, an El Paso fertilizer salesman who wrote, directed, and starred in this peculiar low-budget horror story. A stuttering, staggering sort of film, Manos stupefies the viewer with an odd, timeless pace thanks to innumerable continuity gaps and awkward editing. While a painfully amateur production all the way, the damaged technical aspects are matched with an illogical and confusing story that lends a sort of dreamlike frisson that only sublimely wretched films can provide. What might have been just one more curiosity in the junk room of cinema history is given life by John Reynolds, whose performance as the bizarre caretaker "Torgo" is so eccentric that he's worth recommending on his own. Reynolds twitches, sways, and fidgets so incessantly that his movements appear choreographed, like an extended pantomime piece. His enormous knees and clumsy gait are never explained, but his glassy eyes, paranoid demeanor, and overall itchiness make him stand out amongst an otherwise indifferent cast. This addled obscurity actually earned a few play dates back in the day but was generally met with derision by audiences, and misfortune followed in its wake (including Reynolds' suicide). After sitting on the shelf for decades, it was resuscitated by the snarky comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000, which roasted Manos, the Hands of Fate in a popular episode. As a result, video and DVD copies have kept this charming little epic in circulation far greater than the rural Texas drive-ins for which it was meant. Seek out the original, non-ironic version first for an utterly unique cinematic experience.