The Fate of Maria

Manos: The Hands of Fate is a 1966 American independent folk horror film written, directed, and produced by Harold P. Warren. It stars Warren, Tom Neyman, John Reynolds, and Diane Mahree. It was released on November 15, 1966. The film follows a family getting lost during their vacation road trip through the Texas desert and becoming stranded at the lodge of a polygynous pagan cult led by the Master who decides their fate. Warren was an insurance and fertilizer salesman from El Paso, Texas, who made the film as a result of a bet with screenwriter Stirling Silliphant. Most of the remaining cast and crew had little or no background in filmmaking. The theatrical debut was poorly received, playing only at the Capri Theater in El Paso and some drive-ins around West Texas and New Mexico. Manos: The Hands of Fate remained in obscurity until 1993, when it was featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a television series based around mocking B movies, which became the show's most infamous episode. This developed its cult reputation as one of the worst films ever made. The film has been criticized for continuous deficiencies in editing, visuals, plot, pacing, acting, and poor dubbing. Its MST3K appearance resulted in several home video releases of the original film and the MST3K episode. The original 16 mm workprint was discovered in 2011, from which a new remastered version of the film was released on Blu-ray by Synapse Films on October 13, 2015. Manos: The Hands of Fate has also been adapted into other media, including stage productions. Manos: The Search for Valley Lodge was a sequel that ended up getting canceled in 2014. It was followed by a prequel, Manos: The Rise of Torgo (2018), and a sequel, Manos Returns (2018). A video game based on the film for iOS was developed and published in 2012 by FreakZone Games. A television series titled The Manos Chronicles was made in 2023.