Mike (Harold P. Warren) and Maggie (Diane Mahree), on a road trip with
their daughter and family dog, take a wrong turn in Texas and become
trapped at a weird lodge inhabited by a polygamous pagan cult. They soon
find themselves in the middle of a power struggle between caretaker
Torgo (John Reynolds), cult leader The Master (Tom Neyman), and two
warring factions of the Master’s wives. As the family tries to escape,
the worshipers of “Manos” decide their fate…
Manos: The Hands of Fate is considered one of the worst films ever made and I'd say that a statement like that suits the film. It is 74 minutes of boredom and bad film making. It is borderline unwatchable with it's cuts every 30 seconds or so. Now I know that is due to them only being able to shoot for 32 seconds at a time. The man who brought this film to the world is Harold P. Warren who was an insurance and fertilizer salesman, and he did his job in delivering us a pile of shit in the form of Manos!
There has been so much buzz over this film since MST3K spotlighted it on their show back in the early 90's. Personally it's a film that should of just stayed lost and buried. The only thing I can say that I liked about this film was the character Torgo and it's rumored that the actor playing the character was using LSD during the shoot of the film. To me that just adds to the oddness of the character. The rest are quite lame and boring.
Now even though I think this is a horrible film I can say that Synapse did a great job with this special edition blu-ray. The picture quality is the best you probably will ever see of this film. It does still have a lot of print damage which is fine because it adds to the film in ways. Along with the restored version you also get a "grindhouse" version with all film damage intact. Also there is 2 featurettes about the film. If you are a fan of this film then I very much suggest you buy this release!
Overall I would only check this film out if you absolutely need to, other than that stay away! You can also use this film as a sleep aid because it will put you to sleep! It worked for me! The easiest way to put it is that the story behind the making of the film is better than the actual film.
-Daniel Lee
Director: Harold P. Warren
Lead Actor/Actress:
Genre: Horror
Blu-ray Release Year: 2016
Theatrical Release Year: 1966
Time Length: 74 mins.
Rating: NR
Region Code: Region Free
Release Company: Synapse Films
Website:
www.synapse-films.com
Mike (Harold P. Warren) and Maggie (Diane Mahree), on a road trip with
their daughter and family dog, take a wrong turn in Texas and become
trapped at a weird lodge inhabited by a polygamous pagan cult. They soon
find themselves in the middle of a power struggle between caretaker
Torgo (John Reynolds), cult leader The Master (Tom Neyman), and two
warring factions of the Master’s wives. As the family tries to escape,
the worshipers of “Manos” decide their fate…
