For starters, I have to admit I have reviewed this film twice before, but I feel that I should write a REAL review of the film instead of just a simple paragraph saying "See it" or "Don't see it". I finally found a review format that I could work with and now am reviewing this film in that formet.
I first saw "Manos the Hands of Fate" on the Mystery Science Theater 3000 TV show. It was hilarious how they poked fun at the film, but I wondered what the film was really like without the silhouettes making non-stop comments. I finally sought out the film and viewed it myself, with no prejudice or scrutiny. I like this film. Hard to believe, but I like it.
The plotline is simple: a family stumbles upon an evil cult in the desert and cannot escape "the hands of fate". The acting is not horrendously bad (I actually liked Diane Mahree, Tom Neyman, and the Master's two primary bickering wives), but could use some work. The cinematography is most of the time badly framed, but the way that "Manos" is filmed gives it a feel of authenticity and sleaze. Whenever I watch the film, I feel that the people all died during the making of it! The music is pretty good, I would love to get a soundtrack! The sets are very grimy and sinister, I love them. Especially the interiors of Torgo's little house, with that creepy altar and morbid painting of the Master and his dog!
I get very angry when people make fun of this movie with no mercy. Why? Because most of these people have NEVER SEEN THE ACTUAL MOVIE! Over half of the reviews on the IMDB for "Manos" are people who have only seen the movie on MST3K. That, in my opinion, does not count. Not only is the movie tampered with, but the MST3K version cut a few scenes out. Surprisingly enough, they feature the best acting in the entire movie! The scenes: 1) Mike and Margaret come to a dead end and have to turn around again; 2) an extension of the showdown between the Master and his blonde wife, featuring many slaps in the face and frantic yelling; 3) the brunette wife of the Master informing him of the family's escape; 4) a few other scenes of the family attempting to escape and falling into ditches, etc.
All of the MST3K reviews should be disregarded. And the IMDB ratings are almost all from people who have only seen the MST3K version! That just angers me to no end! Please, if you've only seen the MST3K version, do not review the movie here. Review it under the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" page on IMDB! "Manos" is a bit hard to find, but Something Weird Video and Sinister Cinema offer prints of differing quality. SC's print jumps a lot and cuts off a bit of the beginning.
