Movie Review: "Manos: The Hands of Fate"

When watching a '60s horror movie, we don't expect to be dazzled by special effects or shaking with fear, but Manos: The Hands of Fate goes to new levels of disappointment. I've written a few posts on bad movies recently, which I partially attribute to a group of friends who enjoy laughing at poorly-made movies and partially to a cult film class. It is essential when watching Manos, or any of these terrible movies I've mentioned, to watch with a sense of humor and a group of friends who can appreciate its badness with you. Manos is a horror movie about a couple on their vacation with their daughter and dog who get lost on the beaten trail and stumble upon lodging occupied by some unusual characters. Torgo, a quasi-ram-legged house servant, greets them and speaks of "the master" who is away but will return and be displeased with the child's presence. The movie is just over an hour long, and yet my friends and I coudn't help but keep checking the clock. The first ten minutes or so consists of repetitive driving shots and confusion. What little dialogue there is looks somewhat dubbed and only partially matched. Obsession with a portrait of "the master" and his dog becomes even more ridiculous when we see the mater and his happy, friendly dog. The characters are absolutely idiotic and the dialogue seems improvised, or at least I would hope it was in order to give the writer more credibility.

I think I tried to repress some of the movie, but what remains after the hour were some lingering questions. Who is Manos? The master speaks about pleasing Manos and directly talks to Manos is a somewhat satanic ritual, but we never get an explanation of what/who Manos is. What happens to Torgo? The last time we see him, he runs off after his face was touched by a group of the master's wives (as a form of torture) and his hand was cut off and set on fire (in one quick movement). The master and his wives talk about sacrificing Torgo for his insolence, but at the end of the ritual, they have his burning hand and he runs off to some unknown land. And finally, what are we supposed to be afraid of? The monster is merely a man who sleeps, has multiple wives, and burns hands of insolent servants. Besides a moment of hand-sacrifice to the mysterious Manos, the antagonists are creepy at worst.