Manos: The Hands of Fate
MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE (18)
D: Harold P. Warren
Emerson/Sun City (Harold P. Warren)
US 1966
74 mins
Horror
W: Harold P. Warren
DP: Robert Guidry
Ed: James Sullivan
Mus: Ross Huddlestone & Robert Smith, Jr.
Harold P. Warren (Michael), Diane Mahree (Margaret), Jackie
Neyman (Debbie), Tom Neyman (The Master), John Reynolds (Torgo)
It shouldn't come as much surprise that everyone involved in
the making of this low budget horror was never involved in another film again, which is a good thing, because the skills on show here leave a lot to be desired.
Harold P. Warren, an insurance man from Texas, made this film
as part of a bet that making a horror film was not a difficult undertaking, and so financed it himself to write, produce, direct and star in.
The bare bones plot concerns a family who get lost while
driving to a rural lodge and happen across a house, where they are warned not to stay by a cripple but decide to anyway because they clearly have no understanding of personal space.
It soon emerges that the master of the house has a harem of
wives which he wishes to add to with the two interloping female family members, the nefarious reasons for which are never explained.
There are many things wrong with this film, starting with an
incoherent plot and terrible dialogue, made even worse with the execution and performances. The cinematography, continuity, editing, and sound recording are excrutiatingly bad, to the point that
it's abundantly clear that Harold P. Warren didn't have a clue what he was doing and must surely have lost the bet.
Notoriously known as being one of the worst films of all time,
and not in a "so bad it's good" way. It's incredibly boring, with long, tedious shots which easily could have been pared down to make this a 30 minute short film... and not a good
one.
0/10
