Manos: The Hands of Fate

Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) is an American horror film written, directed, produced by, and starring Harold P. Warren. It is widely recognised to be one of the worst films ever made and thus has achieved cult status!

The plot of the film revolves primarily around a holidaying family who lose their way on a road trip. After a long drive in the Texas desert, the family is trapped at a lodge maintained by a polygamous pagan cult. They attempt to escape as the cults members decide what to do with them.

The film is technically deficient with significant editing flaws; its soundtrack and visuals are not synchronized properly and several scenes are inexplicable or unconnected to the overall plot.

Harold Warren was a fertilizer salesman from El Paso, Texas who produced the film as a result of a bet. He also starred in it, alongside El Paso theatre actors Tom Neyman and John Reynolds. Manos was an independent production by a crew that had little or no background or experience in filmmaking and a very limited budget at their disposal. Upon its theatrical debut, the film was poorly received, and remained obscure until being born again!