Manos: The Hands of Fate

No filmmaker ever sets out to make a bad film on purpose. Every filmmaker wants his or her film to be great and be successful. As we all know, this doesn't work out and sometimes you get a bad film. However, there are some cases where a film transcends regular badness and becomes legendary. Films like "Plan 9 from Outer Space" (said to be the first legendary bad film), "The Room", "Freddy Got Fingered" and the more recent "Birddemic: Shock and Terror" outdo themselves with badness. A lot of these tend to be horror films since it's easy to make horror into a comedy, even if one doesn't mean to.

            "Manos: The Hands of Fate" has been a staple in the genre of legendarily bad films since it's iconic appearance in "Mystery Science Theater 3000". The film is about a young family on a road trip near El Paso, Texas. Michael (played by Harold P. Warren), his wife Margaret (played by Diane Mahree) and the young daughter Debbie (played by Jackie Neyman) are having fun until Debbie gets tired. The family drives around until they find an old house where they're greeted by the creepy and limping Torgo (played by John Reynolds). Torgo explains that the house is owned by the Master (played by Tom Neyman) and that he might not like them coming in. However, when The Master reveals himself the family must escape, if they possibly can.

            When you think of a scary movie what kind of music do you expect? Even if it's a mediocre horror movie, you expect low tones that set an unsettling atmosphere. "Manos" decides to use smooth jazz for most of the movie, even during the scary moments. It completely destroys any tension and makes you laugh since you imagine a dentist's waiting room. The choice of music isn't the only problem in the film.  It seems that everyone is talking in an audio room and Debbie in particular sounds really off. This is believed to be because the audio was completely unusable and they had to rerecord the dialogue. Apparently the director had promised that he had the equipment to fix these problems but didn't. This is immediately apparent since the film's opening scene is covered by the smooth jazz.

            I highly suggest you watch this film at least once, whether it is the MST3K version or just the regular version.  The incompetence of the acting is hilarious, especially when there are cops that appear when gunshots are heard, and then throw up their hands in confusion. When the master tries to be serious, you really can't take him that way considering his silly mustache and grandeur robes. Although, this isn't to say that there isn't anything good in this movie.

            The interior of the house gives a creepy vibe that added to the grain on the film, and certain scenes actually linger when they're accompanied by actual creepy music. The films unexpected conclusion is also a high point. Overall, seek this out Manos for some ironic Halloween fun while giving away candy.