Manos: The Hands of Fate
Encyclopedia
Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966
) is an American horror film
written, directed, produced by, and starring Harold P. Warren. It is widely recognized to be one of the worst films ever made. In 1993
, the television comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000
(MST3K), a show based on the premise of mocking B movie
s, featured Manos: The Hands of Fate, giving the film cult status
.
The plot of the film revolves primarily around a vacationing family who lose their way on a road trip. After a long drive in the Texas
desert, the family is trapped at a lodge maintained by a polygamous
pagan cult, and they attempt to escape as the cult's members decide what to do with them. The film is infamous for its technical deficiencies, especially its significant editing and continuity flaws; its soundtrack and visuals not being synchronized; tedious pacing; abysmal acting; and several scenes that are inexplicable or disconnected from the overall plot, such as a couple making out in a car or The Master's wives (clad in oversized girdles) breaking out in catfights.
Harold Warren was an insurance and fertilizer salesman from El Paso, Texas
, who produced the film as a result of a bet. He also starred in it, alongside El Paso theater actors Tom Neyman and John Reynolds. Manos was an independent production by a crew that had little or no background or experience in filmmaking and a very limited budget at their disposal. Upon its theatrical debut, the film was poorly received, playing only at the Capri Theater in El Paso and some drive-ins in West Texas and New Mexico. It remained obscure until its Mystery Science Theater appearance, which sparked two DVD releases (the original film and the MST3K episode featuring the film).
-like Torgo (John Reynolds), who takes care of the house "while the Master is away". Michael and Margaret ask Torgo for directions to Valley Lodge; Torgo simply replies that, "There is no way out of here. It'll be dark soon. There is no way out of here." With this information, Michael asks Torgo to let him and his family stay the night, despite objections from both Torgo and Margaret.
Inside the home, the family sees a disturbing painting of a dark, malevolent-looking man and a black dog with glowing eyes; the man it depicts is The Master. Margaret becomes frightened upon hearing an ominous howl; Michael investigates, retrieving a flashlight and revolver
from his car, and finds Peppy lying dead on the ground. Torgo reveals his attraction to Margaret and tells her that, although she is doomed to become yet another bride of The Master, he intends to keep her for himself. Margaret threatens to tell Michael of Torgo's advances, but Torgo convinces her not to say anything to her husband by promising to protect her. Michael returns, unable to start the car. With the revelation that there is no phone in the house, the family reluctantly decides to stay the night.
Michael and Margaret stumble upon "The Master" (Tom Neyman) and several women dressed in translucent nightgowns, later revealed to be his wives, who are asleep. Torgo ties Michael to a pole and The Master suddenly comes to life. His wives also awake, and a short argument over the fate of the family ensues. The Master decides he must sacrifice Torgo and his first wife to the film's mysterious deity
and namesake, "Manos." When The Master leaves, his wives engage in further argument that soon degenerates into a fight, and the women wrestle in the sand.
Torgo succumbs to what appears to be a hypnotic
spell by The Master. The Master stops the fight, and has his first wife tied to a pole to be sacrificed
. Torgo is laid on a stone bed, where he is attacked by The Master's other wives, but this in itself does not prove fatal. Evoking some mysterious power, The Master severs and horribly burns Torgo's left hand. Torgo runs off into the darkness, waving the burning stump that remains. The Master laughs maniacally and goes to look for the family and subsequently sacrifices his first wife.
Michael and his family barricade themselves in one of the rooms of the house, where The Master confronts them. Michael fires several shots into The Master's face at point-blank range
, but they have no effect. The screen fades to black, likely indicating that The Master has again applied his hypnotic power.
An undisclosed amount of time later, an entranced Michael (in Torgo's stead) greets two new lost travelers. Margaret and Debbie have become wives of The Master. The film concludes with Michael saying, "I take care of the place while the Master is away." The production credits are superimposed over past scenes from the film with the words: "The End?"
, where he met screenwriter Stirling Silliphant
. While chatting with Silliphant in a local coffee shop, Warren claimed that it was not difficult to make a film, and bet Silliphant that he could make an entire film on his own. After placing the bet, Warren began the first outline of his script on a napkin, right inside the coffee shop. To finance the film, Warren accumulated a substantial, but nevertheless insufficient, sum of cash, reportedly $19,000 ($ in ), and hired a group of actors from a local theater and modeling agency. Because he was unable to pay the cast and crew wages, Warren promised them a share in the film's profits.
Under the working title The Lodge of Sins, the movie was filmed in mid-1966. Filming mainly took place on the ranch
of Colbert Coldwell, a former judge of El Paso County. Most of the equipment used for production was rented, so Warren had to rush through as many shots as possible to complete filming before the deadline for returning the equipment. Footage was shot with a 16 mm
Bell & Howell
camera which had to be wound by hand and thus could only take 32 seconds of footage at a time. This has been suggested as a possible explanation for the many editing problems present in the final cut. The Bell & Howell camera was incapable of double-system recording
, and thus all sound effects and dialogue were dubbed later in post-production, reportedly by only three or four people, including Warren, Neyman, and Diane Mahree. Later during production, Warren renamed the film from its working title to Manos: The Hands of Fate. Reportedly, Warren's small crew became so bemused by his amateurishness and irascibility that they derisively called the movie Mangos: The Cans of Fruit behind his back.
Early in production, one of the actresses playing a wife of the Master broke her leg. Warren rewrote her role to have her make out in a car with an actor during the events of the entire film, as the modeling agency that had loaned her and her castmates out to Warren would have sued had she been fired. The couple appears in the beginning of the film interspersed with the opening credits and shots of the main characters driving through the Texas desert. Despite events in the film portraying police officers ordering them to leave, they are seen again later in the film while the events transpire at night, still embracing in the same location. The inclusion of these characters has been the focus of criticism for having no apparent connection to the main plot of the film.
To portray his character Torgo as a satyr
, John Reynolds wore what would best be described as a metallic rigging under his trousers, made out of wire coat hangers and foam by costar Tom Neyman. Reynolds unintentionally wore them backwards, meaning the effect conveyed made him look nothing like a satyr and more like a man with oversized knees who had difficulty walking. No one ever corrected Reynolds' mistake on-set, so the device damaged Reynolds' kneecaps, causing him chronic pain in the months before his death; reportedly, Reynolds attempted to overcome the pain by self-medicating with drugs, visibly affecting his performance in the film. Fake cloven hooves
should also have been part of Reynolds' satyr costume, but he is instead clearly shown wearing boots in several scenes, which can even be seen in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version that superimposes the silhouettes of theater seats and three of the show's characters over the bottom of all the films they feature. In any event, the film's dialogue never mentions Torgo's satyr nature, and none of the characters seem to notice anything unusual about his appearance.
Warren decided to shoot night-for-night
scenes which proved to be difficult for both the cast and crew who also held day jobs. In many of the night scenes, the camera and lights attracted swarms of moth
s, which can be seen in the film's final production. In the scene in which the cops "investigate" Mike's gunfire, they could walk only a few feet forward, because there was not enough light to illuminate the scenery for a panning shot, creating the unintentionally amusing impression that the officers hear the gunfire, step out of their car, consider investigating but then give up and leave before making a proper check of the scene.
Post-production
efforts were reportedly minimal, despite promises by Warren that any problems in the film would be fixed in later editing. One of the more visible examples of this is a brief moment at the beginning of the film in which the clapperboard
is visible after a cut to the "make-out couple". It is rumored that the entire opening sequence, which consisted of the main characters driving around looking for their hotel for minutes on end with minimal dialogue or effect on the plot, was the result of such neglect: Warren had intended to include opening credits
at this stage of the film, but forgot or was unable to add them.
John Reynolds, the actor who played Torgo, committed suicide
by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun on October 16, 1966, a month before the film was to premiere, although the incident reportedly has no connection to Manos. Reynolds was 25; Manos would be his first (and only) film appearance.
on November 15, 1966. Warren arranged for a searchlight to be used at the cinema, and for the cast to be brought to the premiere by a limousine, in order to enhance the Hollywood feel of the event. Warren could afford only a single limousine, however, and so the driver had to drop off one group, then drive around the block and pick up another. The premiere was attended by numerous local dignitaries, including the mayor and local sheriff. Shortly after the film began, the audience began laughing at its poor quality and redundant dialogue. Humiliated, Warren and the rest of his cast made a hasty exit. The film ended with the crowd throwing their shoes toward the screen. The following day, a review of the film was featured in the El Paso Herald-Post
, which described the film as a "brave experiment", although it criticized some elements such as the attempted murder of Torgo by being "massaged to death" by The Master's wives, and Margaret's claim of "It's getting dark", while she stands in front of a bright midday sun.
Following the premiere, Warren claimed that he felt Manos was the worst film ever made, even though he was proud of it, and he suggested that it might make a passable comedy if it were to be redubbed. The film was briefly distributed by the Emerson Releasing Corporation. Following its debut, the film had a brief theatrical run at the Capri Theater, as well as a few screenings at various drive-in theater
s in West Texas and New Mexico towns, including Las Cruces
. Reports that the only crew members who were compensated for their work in the film were Jackey Neyman and her family's dog, who received a bicycle and a large quantity of dog food
, respectively, would seem to indicate that even with its extremely low budget, the film failed to break even financially. Official box office figures for the film are now unknown, if indeed they ever existed. Although the film received poor reception, Warren did win his bet against Stirling Silliphant
, proving that he was capable of creating an entire film on his own.
The majority of the cast and crew never appeared in another movie after Manos. Harold P. Warren attempted to pitch another script he had written called Wild Desert Bikers, but with the failure of Manos, no one he approached showed any interest in producing it. Attempts to turn the screenplay into a novel were equally unsuccessful.
, her friends unsuccessfully made an effort to track down a copy of the film. A 1981 newspaper article by cinematographer Bob Guidry's ex-wife Pat Ellis Taylor reports the film may have appeared on a local television station, and that it was "listed at the bottom of a page in a film catalogue for rent for $20." The film re-surfaced through a 16 mm print, presumably from this television package, which was introduced into the home video collecting market by a number of public domain film suppliers. One of these suppliers was ultimately the one that offered the film to Comedy Central
, after which it found its way into a box of films sent to Frank Conniff
in 1992, when he chose Manos as one of the films to be shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000
.
The film was featured in the final episode of season four of Mystery Science Theater 3000
(MST3K) on January 30, 1993, preceded by the second half of the short Chevrolet
training film Hired!
The "bots" (Tom Servo
and Crow
) used the long uneventful drive at the beginning of the movie to repeat the title of the movie numerous times, as there was yet to be any action to mock. During the host segment breaks, Joel
and the "bots" mocked the film's opening sequence, debated whether Torgo should be considered a monster, and impersonated "The Master" and his dog. At one point during their sketches, both the bots broke down sobbing due to the poor quality of the movie, which was beyond even their attempts at making it interesting. After the film had finished, the slow-moving Torgo, played by Mike Nelson
(John Reynolds, the original Torgo, died in 1966), appeared at the lair of Dr. Clayton Forrester and TV's Frank
to deliver a pizza two hours after it was ordered. Torgo would also be featured in the later episodes Operation Double 007
(where he finally brings the Mr. Pibbs
that Dr. Clayton Forrester and TV's Frank had ordered in this episode), Village of the Giants
, Danger!! Death Ray
, and Samson Vs. The Vampire Women, when he appeared as "Torgo the White" to bring Frank to "Second Banana Heaven" Both Forrester and Frank were shown apologizing for showing the film, which they admitted was abysmal and went beyond acceptable limits.
During a Q&A session at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con International, a question was put to the cast and writers of MST3K about any movie they passed on that was worse than Manos, and many cited the film Child Bride
.
Manos has been described as one of the best episodes of the series by Entertainment Weekly
. TV.com
grades the episode 9.6/10, garnering "superb" status, while separate pages on Rotten Tomatoes
and the Internet Movie Database
for the MST3K cut give it an 80% "fresh" ranking and a 9.3/10 ranking respectively.
on its own in 2001,and in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Essentials collection in 2004. A DVD of the original version of Manos has also been made available through Alpha Video
, which also released original versions of other "MST-ed" films including Teenagers from Outer Space
. In attempting to explain the film's appeal, the Los Angeles Times
hypothesized, "After screening Manos for probably the 10th time, I've concluded it has to do with intimacy. Because it is such a pure slice of Warren's brain — he wrote, directed, produced and starred, and brooked no collaboration — Manos amounts to the man's cinematically transfigured subconscious." Manos buff Bobby Thompson put it more succinctly: "It's like a train wreck; you just can't take your eyes off it." Shout! Factory
released a special edition
of the film which includes both the MST3K and uncut versions called Manos y Manos [sic].
Manos holds a rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
. The book Hollywood's Most Wanted lists Manos as the #2 in the list of "The Worst Movies Ever Made", following Plan 9 from Outer Space
. The June 10, 2005 issue of Entertainment Weekly
contained an in-depth article which proclaimed Manos "The Worst Movie Ever Made". The scene in which Debbie is dressed as one of the Master's wives has also attracted the attention of observers due to the implications of paedophilia. The crew of Mystery Science Theater 3000 later included the scene in a list of the most disgusting things they had seen.
Three comedy stage adaptations of the film have been made. The first, by Last Rites Productions, was given in Portland, Oregon
in early 2006. The second, a musical titled Manos: Rock Opera of Fate by the New Millennium Theatre Company, was launched in Chicago
in October 2007. The third, a puppet musical titled Manos - The Hands of Felt, was performed by Puppet This in Seattle in April 2011.
In March 2008, the How I Met Your Mother
episode "Ten Sessions
" featured main character Ted Mosby
arguing that Manos is the worst movie ever made, even when compared to Plan 9 from Outer Space
. The show featured a brief discussion of the film, and an ultra-condensed 12-second screening of the film as part of a two-minute date.
In November 2008, a 27-minute documentary film
about Manos was released on DVD, titled Hotel Torgo.
Additionally, two indie games based on the film have been released to this date: Manos: The Hands of Fate, an electronic roleplaying game made using the RPG Maker engine that loosely retells the story of the film; and a side scrolling action game called Manos: The Revenge of Torgo which is a parodic sequel to the events of the movie.
In 2011, the original 16mm Ektachrome
camera elements of Manos: The Hands of Fate were rediscovered. The film will be restored and remastered in High Definition for a new video release.
1966 in film
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
) is an American horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
written, directed, produced by, and starring Harold P. Warren. It is widely recognized to be one of the worst films ever made. In 1993
1993 in television
The year 1993 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1993.For the American TV schedule, see: 1993-94 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
, the television comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
(MST3K), a show based on the premise of mocking B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s, featured Manos: The Hands of Fate, giving the film cult status
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
.
The plot of the film revolves primarily around a vacationing family who lose their way on a road trip. After a long drive in the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
desert, the family is trapped at a lodge maintained by a polygamous
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
pagan cult, and they attempt to escape as the cult's members decide what to do with them. The film is infamous for its technical deficiencies, especially its significant editing and continuity flaws; its soundtrack and visuals not being synchronized; tedious pacing; abysmal acting; and several scenes that are inexplicable or disconnected from the overall plot, such as a couple making out in a car or The Master's wives (clad in oversized girdles) breaking out in catfights.
Harold Warren was an insurance and fertilizer salesman from El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, who produced the film as a result of a bet. He also starred in it, alongside El Paso theater actors Tom Neyman and John Reynolds. Manos was an independent production by a crew that had little or no background or experience in filmmaking and a very limited budget at their disposal. Upon its theatrical debut, the film was poorly received, playing only at the Capri Theater in El Paso and some drive-ins in West Texas and New Mexico. It remained obscure until its Mystery Science Theater appearance, which sparked two DVD releases (the original film and the MST3K episode featuring the film).
Plot
While on a road trip, Michael (Hal Warren), Margaret (Diane Mahree), their young daughter Debbie (Jackey Neyman Jones) and their dog, Peppy, search for the "Valley Lodge." Michael and his family finally reach a house which is tended by the bizarre, satyrSatyr
In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing....
-like Torgo (John Reynolds), who takes care of the house "while the Master is away". Michael and Margaret ask Torgo for directions to Valley Lodge; Torgo simply replies that, "There is no way out of here. It'll be dark soon. There is no way out of here." With this information, Michael asks Torgo to let him and his family stay the night, despite objections from both Torgo and Margaret.
Inside the home, the family sees a disturbing painting of a dark, malevolent-looking man and a black dog with glowing eyes; the man it depicts is The Master. Margaret becomes frightened upon hearing an ominous howl; Michael investigates, retrieving a flashlight and revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
from his car, and finds Peppy lying dead on the ground. Torgo reveals his attraction to Margaret and tells her that, although she is doomed to become yet another bride of The Master, he intends to keep her for himself. Margaret threatens to tell Michael of Torgo's advances, but Torgo convinces her not to say anything to her husband by promising to protect her. Michael returns, unable to start the car. With the revelation that there is no phone in the house, the family reluctantly decides to stay the night.
Michael and Margaret stumble upon "The Master" (Tom Neyman) and several women dressed in translucent nightgowns, later revealed to be his wives, who are asleep. Torgo ties Michael to a pole and The Master suddenly comes to life. His wives also awake, and a short argument over the fate of the family ensues. The Master decides he must sacrifice Torgo and his first wife to the film's mysterious deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
and namesake, "Manos." When The Master leaves, his wives engage in further argument that soon degenerates into a fight, and the women wrestle in the sand.
Torgo succumbs to what appears to be a hypnotic
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
spell by The Master. The Master stops the fight, and has his first wife tied to a pole to be sacrificed
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
. Torgo is laid on a stone bed, where he is attacked by The Master's other wives, but this in itself does not prove fatal. Evoking some mysterious power, The Master severs and horribly burns Torgo's left hand. Torgo runs off into the darkness, waving the burning stump that remains. The Master laughs maniacally and goes to look for the family and subsequently sacrifices his first wife.
Michael and his family barricade themselves in one of the rooms of the house, where The Master confronts them. Michael fires several shots into The Master's face at point-blank range
Point-blank range
In external ballistics, point-blank range is the distance between a firearm and a target of a given size such that the bullet in flight is expected to strike the target without adjusting the elevation of the firearm. The point-blank range will vary with the firearm and its particular ballistic...
, but they have no effect. The screen fades to black, likely indicating that The Master has again applied his hypnotic power.
An undisclosed amount of time later, an entranced Michael (in Torgo's stead) greets two new lost travelers. Margaret and Debbie have become wives of The Master. The film concludes with Michael saying, "I take care of the place while the Master is away." The production credits are superimposed over past scenes from the film with the words: "The End?"
Cast
- Harold P. Warren - Michael
- Diane Mahree - Margaret
- Jackey Neyman - Debbie
- John Reynolds - Torgo
- Tom Neyman - The Master
- Stephanie Nielson - Master's Wife
- Sherry Proctor - Master's Wife
- Robin Redd - Master's Wife
- Jay Hall - Master's Wife
- Bettie Burns - Master's Wife
- Lelanie Hansard - Master's Wife
- Bernie Rosenblum - Teenage Boy
- Joyce Molleur - Teenage Girl
- William Bryan Jennings - Cop
- George Cavender - Cop
- Pat Coburn - Girl in Convertible
- Pat Sullivan - Girl in Convertible
Production
Warren was very active in the theater scene in El Paso, Texas, and once appeared as a walk-on for the television series Route 66Route 66 (TV series)
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
, where he met screenwriter Stirling Silliphant
Stirling Silliphant
Stirling Dale Silliphant was an American screenwriter and producer. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, moved to Glendale, California as a child, graduated from Hoover High School, and was educated at the University of Southern California...
. While chatting with Silliphant in a local coffee shop, Warren claimed that it was not difficult to make a film, and bet Silliphant that he could make an entire film on his own. After placing the bet, Warren began the first outline of his script on a napkin, right inside the coffee shop. To finance the film, Warren accumulated a substantial, but nevertheless insufficient, sum of cash, reportedly $19,000 ($ in ), and hired a group of actors from a local theater and modeling agency. Because he was unable to pay the cast and crew wages, Warren promised them a share in the film's profits.
Under the working title The Lodge of Sins, the movie was filmed in mid-1966. Filming mainly took place on the ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
of Colbert Coldwell, a former judge of El Paso County. Most of the equipment used for production was rented, so Warren had to rush through as many shots as possible to complete filming before the deadline for returning the equipment. Footage was shot with a 16 mm
16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
Bell & Howell
Böwe Bell & Howell
Bell & Howell is a U.S.-based former manufacturer of motion picture machinery, founded as Bell & Howell in 1907 by two projectionists, and headquartered in Wheeling, Illinois. The company merged with Böwe Systec Inc...
camera which had to be wound by hand and thus could only take 32 seconds of footage at a time. This has been suggested as a possible explanation for the many editing problems present in the final cut. The Bell & Howell camera was incapable of double-system recording
Double-system recording
Double-system recording is a form of sound recording used in motion picture production whereby the sound for a scene is recorded on a machine that is separate from the camera or picture-recording apparatus....
, and thus all sound effects and dialogue were dubbed later in post-production, reportedly by only three or four people, including Warren, Neyman, and Diane Mahree. Later during production, Warren renamed the film from its working title to Manos: The Hands of Fate. Reportedly, Warren's small crew became so bemused by his amateurishness and irascibility that they derisively called the movie Mangos: The Cans of Fruit behind his back.
Early in production, one of the actresses playing a wife of the Master broke her leg. Warren rewrote her role to have her make out in a car with an actor during the events of the entire film, as the modeling agency that had loaned her and her castmates out to Warren would have sued had she been fired. The couple appears in the beginning of the film interspersed with the opening credits and shots of the main characters driving through the Texas desert. Despite events in the film portraying police officers ordering them to leave, they are seen again later in the film while the events transpire at night, still embracing in the same location. The inclusion of these characters has been the focus of criticism for having no apparent connection to the main plot of the film.
To portray his character Torgo as a satyr
Satyr
In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing....
, John Reynolds wore what would best be described as a metallic rigging under his trousers, made out of wire coat hangers and foam by costar Tom Neyman. Reynolds unintentionally wore them backwards, meaning the effect conveyed made him look nothing like a satyr and more like a man with oversized knees who had difficulty walking. No one ever corrected Reynolds' mistake on-set, so the device damaged Reynolds' kneecaps, causing him chronic pain in the months before his death; reportedly, Reynolds attempted to overcome the pain by self-medicating with drugs, visibly affecting his performance in the film. Fake cloven hooves
Cloven hoof
A cloven hoof is a hoof split into two toes. This is found on members of the mammalian order Artiodactyla. Examples of mammals that possess this type of hoof are deer and sheep. In folklore and popular culture, a cloven hoof has long been associated with the Devil.The two digits of cloven hoofed...
should also have been part of Reynolds' satyr costume, but he is instead clearly shown wearing boots in several scenes, which can even be seen in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version that superimposes the silhouettes of theater seats and three of the show's characters over the bottom of all the films they feature. In any event, the film's dialogue never mentions Torgo's satyr nature, and none of the characters seem to notice anything unusual about his appearance.
Warren decided to shoot night-for-night
Night-for-night
In cinematography, night-for-night filming is the name given to the practice of actually filming night scenes at night.In the early days of cinema, before the invention of the proper lighting systems, night scenes were filmed "day-for-night"--that is, they were filmed during the day, and the film...
scenes which proved to be difficult for both the cast and crew who also held day jobs. In many of the night scenes, the camera and lights attracted swarms of moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s, which can be seen in the film's final production. In the scene in which the cops "investigate" Mike's gunfire, they could walk only a few feet forward, because there was not enough light to illuminate the scenery for a panning shot, creating the unintentionally amusing impression that the officers hear the gunfire, step out of their car, consider investigating but then give up and leave before making a proper check of the scene.
Post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
efforts were reportedly minimal, despite promises by Warren that any problems in the film would be fixed in later editing. One of the more visible examples of this is a brief moment at the beginning of the film in which the clapperboard
Clapperboard
A clapperboard is a device used in filmmaking and video production to assist in the synchronizing of picture and sound, and to designate and mark particular scenes and takes recorded during a production...
is visible after a cut to the "make-out couple". It is rumored that the entire opening sequence, which consisted of the main characters driving around looking for their hotel for minutes on end with minimal dialogue or effect on the plot, was the result of such neglect: Warren had intended to include opening credits
Opening credits
In a motion picture, television program, or video game, the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There...
at this stage of the film, but forgot or was unable to add them.
John Reynolds, the actor who played Torgo, committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun on October 16, 1966, a month before the film was to premiere, although the incident reportedly has no connection to Manos. Reynolds was 25; Manos would be his first (and only) film appearance.
Reception
The film premiered at the Capri Theater in Warren's hometown of El Paso, TexasEl Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
on November 15, 1966. Warren arranged for a searchlight to be used at the cinema, and for the cast to be brought to the premiere by a limousine, in order to enhance the Hollywood feel of the event. Warren could afford only a single limousine, however, and so the driver had to drop off one group, then drive around the block and pick up another. The premiere was attended by numerous local dignitaries, including the mayor and local sheriff. Shortly after the film began, the audience began laughing at its poor quality and redundant dialogue. Humiliated, Warren and the rest of his cast made a hasty exit. The film ended with the crowd throwing their shoes toward the screen. The following day, a review of the film was featured in the El Paso Herald-Post
El Paso Herald-Post
The El Paso Herald-Post was an afternoon daily newspaper in El Paso, Texas, USA. It was the successor to the El Paso Herald, first published in 1881, and the El Paso Post, founded by the E. W. Scripps Company in 1922...
, which described the film as a "brave experiment", although it criticized some elements such as the attempted murder of Torgo by being "massaged to death" by The Master's wives, and Margaret's claim of "It's getting dark", while she stands in front of a bright midday sun.
Following the premiere, Warren claimed that he felt Manos was the worst film ever made, even though he was proud of it, and he suggested that it might make a passable comedy if it were to be redubbed. The film was briefly distributed by the Emerson Releasing Corporation. Following its debut, the film had a brief theatrical run at the Capri Theater, as well as a few screenings at various drive-in theater
Drive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
s in West Texas and New Mexico towns, including Las Cruces
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
. Reports that the only crew members who were compensated for their work in the film were Jackey Neyman and her family's dog, who received a bicycle and a large quantity of dog food
Dog food
Dog food refers to food specifically intended for consumption by dogs. Though technically omnivorous, dogs exhibit a natural carnivorous bias, have sharp, pointy teeth, and have short gastrointestinal tracts better suited for the consumption of meat...
, respectively, would seem to indicate that even with its extremely low budget, the film failed to break even financially. Official box office figures for the film are now unknown, if indeed they ever existed. Although the film received poor reception, Warren did win his bet against Stirling Silliphant
Stirling Silliphant
Stirling Dale Silliphant was an American screenwriter and producer. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, moved to Glendale, California as a child, graduated from Hoover High School, and was educated at the University of Southern California...
, proving that he was capable of creating an entire film on his own.
The majority of the cast and crew never appeared in another movie after Manos. Harold P. Warren attempted to pitch another script he had written called Wild Desert Bikers, but with the failure of Manos, no one he approached showed any interest in producing it. Attempts to turn the screenplay into a novel were equally unsuccessful.
Obscurity
Following these few local screenings, Manos was almost entirely forgotten. When Jackey Neyman attended University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, her friends unsuccessfully made an effort to track down a copy of the film. A 1981 newspaper article by cinematographer Bob Guidry's ex-wife Pat Ellis Taylor reports the film may have appeared on a local television station, and that it was "listed at the bottom of a page in a film catalogue for rent for $20." The film re-surfaced through a 16 mm print, presumably from this television package, which was introduced into the home video collecting market by a number of public domain film suppliers. One of these suppliers was ultimately the one that offered the film to Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
, after which it found its way into a box of films sent to Frank Conniff
Frank Conniff
Frank Conniff is a writer and actor who is perhaps best known for his portrayal of TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000 .-Early work:...
in 1992, when he chose Manos as one of the films to be shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
.
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
(MST3K) on January 30, 1993, preceded by the second half of the short Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
training film Hired!
Hired!
Hired! is a 1940 short film that was made by the Jam Handy production house for Chevrolet as a training film for sales managers. It was shown in two parts during Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes #423 and #424 .-Plot:In the movie, Mr...
The "bots" (Tom Servo
Tom Servo
Tom Servo is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Tom is one of two wise-cracking, robotic main characters of the show, built by Joel Robinson to act as a companion and help stave off space madness as Joel was forced to watch...
and Crow
Crow T. Robot
Crow T. Robot is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Crow is a robot, who, along with others, quips and riffs upon poor-quality B movies.- Overview :...
) used the long uneventful drive at the beginning of the movie to repeat the title of the movie numerous times, as there was yet to be any action to mock. During the host segment breaks, Joel
Joel Robinson
Joel Robinson is a fictional character featured in the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000...
and the "bots" mocked the film's opening sequence, debated whether Torgo should be considered a monster, and impersonated "The Master" and his dog. At one point during their sketches, both the bots broke down sobbing due to the poor quality of the movie, which was beyond even their attempts at making it interesting. After the film had finished, the slow-moving Torgo, played by Mike Nelson
Michael J. Nelson
Michael John Nelson is a U.S. comedian and writer, most famous for his work on the cult television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's 11-year run, and spent half of that time playing the on-air host, also named Mike Nelson...
(John Reynolds, the original Torgo, died in 1966), appeared at the lair of Dr. Clayton Forrester and TV's Frank
TV's Frank
TV's Frank, played by Frank Conniff, is a fictional character, mad scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester's lab assistant in the television comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000. He appears at the beginning of Season 2, with the departure of Forrester's earlier co-scientist Dr. Laurence Erhardt, and...
to deliver a pizza two hours after it was ordered. Torgo would also be featured in the later episodes Operation Double 007
OK Connery
OK Connery is a 1967 Italian Eurospy spoof of the James Bond series of films. It was retitled Operation Kid Brother in the United States and is also known as Operation Double 007 and Secret Agent 00...
(where he finally brings the Mr. Pibbs
Pibb Xtra
Pibb Xtra, a variation on previous product Mr Pibb, is a soft drink marketed by The Coca-Cola Company. As of 2011, it is sold in most of the United States.-History:...
that Dr. Clayton Forrester and TV's Frank had ordered in this episode), Village of the Giants
Village of the Giants
Village of the Giants is a 1965 science-fiction/comedy movie with many elements of the beach party film genre. It was produced, directed and written by Bert I. Gordon, and based loosely on H.G. Wells's book The Food of the Gods...
, Danger!! Death Ray
Danger!! Death Ray
Danger!! Death Ray is an 1967 Italian Eurospy secret agent spy film. It was released at a time when the James Bond films, and spy films in general, were very popular internationally. Its original Italian title was Il Raggio infernale, which translates as "The Infernal Beam", and it was also...
, and Samson Vs. The Vampire Women, when he appeared as "Torgo the White" to bring Frank to "Second Banana Heaven" Both Forrester and Frank were shown apologizing for showing the film, which they admitted was abysmal and went beyond acceptable limits.
During a Q&A session at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con International, a question was put to the cast and writers of MST3K about any movie they passed on that was worse than Manos, and many cited the film Child Bride
Child Bride
Child Bride, also known as Child Brides , is a 1938 film directed by Harry Revier. Set in a remote town in the Ozarks, it claims to be an attempt to draw attention to the lack of laws banning child marriage in many states...
.
Manos has been described as one of the best episodes of the series by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
grades the episode 9.6/10, garnering "superb" status, while separate pages on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
and the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
for the MST3K cut give it an 80% "fresh" ranking and a 9.3/10 ranking respectively.
Popularity as a cult film
The MST3K episode featuring the film was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on its own in 2001,and in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Essentials collection in 2004. A DVD of the original version of Manos has also been made available through Alpha Video
Alpha Video
Alpha Video is an entertainment company, based near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of public domain movies and TV shows on DVD...
, which also released original versions of other "MST-ed" films including Teenagers from Outer Space
Teenagers from Outer Space
Teenagers from Outer Space is a 1959 science-fiction film about an extraterrestrial space ship landing on Earth to use it as a farm for its food supply. The crew of the ship includes teenagers, two of whom oppose each other in their activities. The independent film was originally distributed by...
. In attempting to explain the film's appeal, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
hypothesized, "After screening Manos for probably the 10th time, I've concluded it has to do with intimacy. Because it is such a pure slice of Warren's brain — he wrote, directed, produced and starred, and brooked no collaboration — Manos amounts to the man's cinematically transfigured subconscious." Manos buff Bobby Thompson put it more succinctly: "It's like a train wreck; you just can't take your eyes off it." Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
released a special edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
of the film which includes both the MST3K and uncut versions called Manos y Manos [sic].
Manos holds a rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. The book Hollywood's Most Wanted lists Manos as the #2 in the list of "The Worst Movies Ever Made", following Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
. The June 10, 2005 issue of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
contained an in-depth article which proclaimed Manos "The Worst Movie Ever Made". The scene in which Debbie is dressed as one of the Master's wives has also attracted the attention of observers due to the implications of paedophilia. The crew of Mystery Science Theater 3000 later included the scene in a list of the most disgusting things they had seen.
Three comedy stage adaptations of the film have been made. The first, by Last Rites Productions, was given in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in early 2006. The second, a musical titled Manos: Rock Opera of Fate by the New Millennium Theatre Company, was launched in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in October 2007. The third, a puppet musical titled Manos - The Hands of Felt, was performed by Puppet This in Seattle in April 2011.
In March 2008, the How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
episode "Ten Sessions
Ten Sessions
"Ten Sessions" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of How I Met Your Mother, and the 57th episode overall of the series. It originally aired on March 24, 2008 on CBS...
" featured main character Ted Mosby
Ted Mosby
Theodore Evelyn "Ted" Mosby is the titular fictional character of the U.S. television sitcom How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Josh Radnor...
arguing that Manos is the worst movie ever made, even when compared to Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
. The show featured a brief discussion of the film, and an ultra-condensed 12-second screening of the film as part of a two-minute date.
In November 2008, a 27-minute documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Manos was released on DVD, titled Hotel Torgo.
Additionally, two indie games based on the film have been released to this date: Manos: The Hands of Fate, an electronic roleplaying game made using the RPG Maker engine that loosely retells the story of the film; and a side scrolling action game called Manos: The Revenge of Torgo which is a parodic sequel to the events of the movie.
In 2011, the original 16mm Ektachrome
Ektachrome
Ektachrome is a brand name owned by Kodak for a range of transparency, still, and motion picture films available in most formats, including 35 mm and sheet sizes to 11x14 inch size. Ektachrome has a distinctive look that became familiar to many readers of National Geographic, which used it...
camera elements of Manos: The Hands of Fate were rediscovered. The film will be restored and remastered in High Definition for a new video release.