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22% liked it

6,900 ratings

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Directed by: Hal Warren

Release Date: January 1, 1966

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DVD Release Date: October 7, 2003

Stats: 1,157 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,157)


  • June 29, 2009
    Oh boy, here we go. Often the main contender to try and dethrone Plan 9 From Outer Space as the worst movie ever made, it does have a lot going for it to be given such a title.

    Speaking of titles, let's start with the first thing that would make you want to bang your head on the...( read more) desk: the title itself. Manos is Spanish for hands, so the title becomes Hands: The Hands Of Fate. Yeah... kinda redundant there. Why not make it "Manos: The Hands Of Fate (Fate's Hands... Of Manos!)" while you're at it, hmm? Even if the deity worshipped is called "Manos", that just raises another question: is his real name Hands? If so, that just makes the whole thing dumber than it already is.

    So, surprising to me, this thing actually has a story. I'll give you a moment to get over the shock before going on...


    Moment's over.
    A family is heading out on vacation and they reach a house which is looked after by Torgo (don't remember who plays anyone, don't really care so I won't be doing my usual actor/actress assessment in this review), who tends to the place "while the Master is away" (which leads to a stupid line in which the wife later says Torgo told them he was dead. Uh, no. Pay attention lady).
    The rest of the story involves the Master deciding what to do with the family and their attempt to get away. But it's really more a collection of random set pieces (especially once particular scene in which the Master's wives are fighting amongst themselves. It looks like the production crew went out to lunch and left the equipment running and the women got bored so they decided to have catfights and act all silly).

    Meanwhile, in Movie B... we have two kids making out in a car. And that's it. They serve no purpose in the movie. It's like someone had a really bad short to go before the film and it somehow became part of the film itself. Another example of just leaving the camera running.

    (If anyone's still interested in actually torturing themselves, I'll put a spoiler warning here. Not that I expect anyone still WANTS to see this train wreck)

    In the last act, the family attempt to leave the house and are stopped by... a rattlesnake. Not a demonically large, overpowering rattlesnake. Just a rattlesnake. This would be like playing a Legend Of Zelda video game and finding out the final boss is a mere Octorok.
    Not that it matters, as here comes the ineffectual police officers! They hear the father shooting at the rattlesnake, come over and then decide to "check out" the house of the Master. And what does this "checking out" amount to?
    Walking a few feet from their car, looking at the night sky, then leaving. Way to go, boys! You solved the case of the missing morons! They were YOU along! Go back to Spingfield, idiots!
    So, where does this leave the family? Why, under the thrall of the Master of course! He shows up to abduct them all and put them under his power.
    The father now takes Torgo's place as caretaker (Torgo having died by "massage of death" as it's referred to by other critics. Still, could have been worse. He could have been killed by the comfy chair! Shock! Horror!)
    And the mother and daughter? Now added to the harem.
    Now we stop. The daughter. The daughter who's age is in the single digits. So... the Master is a pedophile too? Ok, I had to stop the movie right there for a second. That's just... what the Hell, man? That defies all explanation.

    Now I will admit, I watched the movie as an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (and no one should attempt it without the riffing). It still counts, as I am watching the footage, I am hearing the movie dialogue. Besides, as I said, Mystery Science Theater 3000 is the only way to watch films like that. Joel created those bots for a reason and he was a smart man for doing so.

    Apparently, the movie was made on a bet that the "director" could make a movie all on his own. And there's the lesson, kids: don't make bets where the outcome scars people for life. They seem funny at the time but the effects could be devastating as time goes on.
  • May 31, 2008
    One of the most poorly made films ever made (notice I didn't say the worst). If you ever wanted to have some commit suicide just lock them in a room with this on a loop. If you dare to watch this movie, please for the sake of your own mental health watch the MST3K version of the ...( read more)film (which still only makes the film barely tolerable).
    I am going to call out any film maker out there that has the testicular fortitude to remake this that if it gets remade I will break my no remakes policy and buy a ticket.
  • March 28, 2008
    So bad it's good? Most deffinately but you really have to see the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 version to fully appreciate the cheese and overall cock handedness. Terrible in every way but perfectly crafted for comedy. Torgo rules.
  • February 9, 2008
    I finally watch MANOS for pure schlock value, and could barely sit through it. I fell asleep 5 times in the duration of the``film`` and asked myself why I was still watching the piece of garbage about two-dozen times. Definately deserves it`s status as one of the worst movies of ...( read more)all-time.
  • February 22, 2007
    Okay, yeah, no one in their right mind would watch this without Mike and the bots guiding them through. Still, that episode of MST3k is one of the best (it almost seems too easy) and if you want to give it your own treatment with some friends, this movie basically begs for it.
  • November 17, 2009
    This truly is one of the worst films ever made. It has some of the worst acting I have ever seen, the score is horrendous. What plot there is makes no sense. It?s just thrown together with little thought. Cheap and abominable.
  • October 21, 2009
    Worst film ever made.
  • September 15, 2009
    I have heard this is one of the worst movies ever made, which is why I can't wait to see it. I hear they even have an MST3K episode of this movie which I seriously want to see.
  • August 21, 2009
    Like it or not, this is a classic!
  • July 6, 2009
    Cheapo piece of crap that it thankfully very short.

Critic Reviews


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Comments


  • CloudIsAMonkey
    January 20, 2008
    I said 3 cheers!! >__< !!!
  • clarinetking1
    November 14, 2006
    hey I loved this movie, it was soooo bad, everything about it sucked. but I'm a fan :P. I even dressed as torgo for Halloween and my friend dressed up as the master. I've watched it about 12 times, 8 with commentary by MST3K and 4 without, I still enjoy it for it's pure hilarity and I love watching it with friends :).
  • xXChocoboxXxHuntryssXx
    September 8, 2006
    O_0Awful ><
  • CloudIsAMonkey
    September 4, 2006
    3 cheers for the "greatest" movie ever made!!!! ^_^

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Manos, the Hands ... : Watch Free on TV


Manos, the Hands of Fate Trivia


  • Which 1966 movie that was written, produced, and starred in by a Texas fertilizer salesman is considered by many to be the absolute worst movie ever made? It also features a 10 minute long opening sequence, a character named Torgo, and was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000.  Answer »
  • Tagline: It's Shocking! It's Beyond Your Imagination!  Answer »
  • True or False: Tom Neyman, who starred in the notoriously bad film "Manos: the Hands of Fate" was also in another movie.  Answer »
  • True or False: the IMDb id number for "Manos, the Hands of Fate", ends in 666.  Answer »

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