Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Manos: The Hands of Fate Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 7, 2015

Like thousands of movie maniacs, I came across 1966’s “Manos: The Hands of Fate” when it appeared on brilliant television series, “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” where writer/director/star Harold P. Warren’s tattered vision for an exploitation endeavor provided ideal fodder for comic riffing, instantly making it one of their finest episodes. However, jokes are no longer attached to the new Blu-ray edition of “Manos,” which presents the effort in its initial state, trying to reclaim the no-budget charms of the production on its own terms, without ace comedians making the viewing experience passable. It’s a dangerous, sobering proposition, but there’s something intriguing about the distraction-free picture, revealing Warren’s ambition to make junk food cinema through hasty experimentation. This very well may be one of the worst movies ever made, but here, on the Blu-ray, the viewer is now free to study what was originally intended and, in some cases, actually achieved.

Driving through the southwest for a much needed vacation, Michael (Harold P. Warren), wife Margaret (Diane Adelson), and daughter Debbie (Jackey Raye Neyman-Jones) are trying to make their way to a special resort, getting lost in the process. Stopping for the night at the remote Valley Lodge, the family is greeted by Torgo (John Reynolds), the deformed caretaker of the establishment, who welcomes the group inside with promises that their presence pleases The Master (Tom Neyman). Uncomfortable with the surroundings and Torgo’s odd, possessive behavior, Michael plans to leave in the middle of the night. However, escaping from The Master’s control proves difficult, with the black magic cult figure rising from slumber along with his six wives, planning to take possession of Margaret and Debbie and murder Michael to appease the great god Manos.

The backstory on “Manos” is more interesting than the actual film: Warren apparently devised the picture on a bet; the camera used couldn’t record sound, necessitating crude dubbing for all dialogue, including the hiring of a single woman to voice all female parts; while the production had a script, Warren was indecisive and overwhelmed, often making up the movie as he went along; and the entire effort was edited in a matter of hours. The list of offenses and curiosities goes on and on.

Watching “Manos” in an un-riffed state is supremely strange, forced to absorb Warren’s attempts to pad the picture in their raw state. There are driving scenes galore at the top of the movie, along with the introduction of an amorous couple necking in a car, acting as drunken witnesses to Michael’s road trip folly. There’s a sheriff too, but he’s not critical to the plot, only presented here as a way to break from Valley Lodge encounters. An energetic jazz score plays endlessly, almost on a loop, supporting the feature with cocktail-hour ambiance, eventually segueing into creepier horror atmosphere, including the “haunting Torgo theme.” There’s the infamous dubbing, which underlines characterizations in unintended ways, making Michael a monster with a hair-trigger temper and Margaret a useless mother who would probably burn down her house to kill a spider. There are no performances here, just outlines of ideas barely captured by Warren’s camera, which struggles with focus and framing. Indeed, after ten minutes of “Manos,” there’s a distinct feeling that a snuff film is going to break out at any moment.

At 69 minutes, “Manos” feels eternal, but there are details here that hold interest. Warren bungles the overall quest to disturb the viewer, but there’s special life in Reynolds’s interpretation of Torgo’s sexual awakening, finding the thick-thighed, stumbly assistant trying to claim Margaret as his own, unaware the young mother may not appreciate being peeped on through a window or pawed like prom date. The Master is also an intriguing figure, with his ill-defined subservience to a hand god played volcanically by Neyman, who actually puts in an effort when it comes to screen acting. Everything is undefined in “Manos,” but pieces of the puzzle remain in clear view, with Warren trying to sleaze up his endeavor for worldwide sales, leaving moments where Torgo’s hand is burned off and The Master slapping around one of his defiant wives the most defined in intention. Heck, there’s even a full-fledged cat fight with the wives. The rest is just a hazy representation of a drive-in spectacular.

Manos: The Hands of Fate Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.30:1 aspect ratio) presentation arrives courtesy of Benjamin Solovey, who discovered a "Manos" workprint a few years ago, setting out to restore the feature for future audiences to walk out on. As to be expected with a dismal movie from 1966, there's only so much one can do to bring the feature up to HD standards, and the viewing experience is fairly impressive. Trouble spots are omnipresent, with debris, scratches, burns, and speckling everywhere, but what's immediately striking is how clear "Manos" looks. Sharpness isn't completely possible due to rampant focus issues, but detail is there for study, making it easier to take in make-up work, costuming, and wildly gesticulating performances. Colors have been refreshed, bringing out deep primaries (the red of The Master's robe really pops), while skintones are mostly contained (they do slip into pinkish extremes at times). This is obviously the best the movie has ever looked, handed atypical care for reasons that perhaps shouldn't be shared.

Manos: The Hands of Fate Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix carries with authority, though expectations for a crisp track won't be met. Dealing with broad dubbing, dialogue exchanges are thick but intelligible. Scoring is also pronounced, and while true instrumentation isn't possible, the soundtrack goes big to support the visuals, adding some fullness to the listening experience. A few dips in volume are detected, and hiss and pops are present.

Manos: The Hands of Fate Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features actors Tom Neyman and Jackey Raye Neyman-Jones.

• "Grindhouse Version" is the complete "Manos" film in an unrestored state.

• "Hands: The Fate of 'Manos'" (30:46, HD) is hosted by Benjamin Solovey, the man responsible for the film's restoration. He walks the viewer through the basics in "Manos" mythology, covering the scattered, unprofessional shoot, the collection of untested actors, and the feature's disastrous premiere in El Paso. Interviewees include Tom Neyman, Jackey Raye Neyman-Jones, actress Diane Adelson, and still photographer Anselm Spring, who share interesting anecdotes about the production and put a few rumors to rest. Disappointingly, the film's resurrection on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" is bizarrely downplayed, offered only a moment of acknowledgement despite being the very reason why audiences have interest in "Manos" to begin with. It's a missed opportunity.

• "Restoring the Hands of Fate" (6:36, HD) returns to Solovey, who doesn't offer an explanation about his "Manos" workprint discovery, failing to provide any introductory comments before he's hip-deep in a technical discussion about his reclamation effort (if you don't know anything about Solovey's find, you're not going to learn about it here). Solovey is knowledgeable, but this featurette is just him on a stool explaining daily business, without visual evidence to spice up the conversation.

• "Felt: The Puppet Hands of Fate" (3:58, HD) is a short overview of "Manos: The Hands of Felt," a puppet parody show organized by Rachel Jackson.

Manos: The Hands of Fate Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Manos," with its "Twilight Zone" ending and basic disregard for a consistent narrative, isn't quite the disaster its reputation demands. It's sloppy, inexcusably cheap, and very silly, but it retains a certain moxie that suggests Warren wasn't intentionally tanking the production, he just didn't know what he was doing. It's difficult to recommend repeated viewings of "Manos: The Hands of Fate," but if you've only seen the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" or Rifftrax version of the feature, it's worth an hour and change of time to endure the original version of the effort, offered a chance to silently study the madness of the movie, intentional or otherwise.