Trivia for
Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) More at IMDbPro »

• The scenes featuring two teenagers who are hassled by the cops while necking in their car were added because actress Joyce Molleur broke her leg during filming, and was unable to perform her original role.
  
  
• Filmed entirely with a handheld camera that could only record thirty-two seconds of film at a time. The film was shot without sound; all the lines were later dubbed by only three people - two men and one woman. The little girl who plays Debbie cried when she first heard her dubbed voice.
  
  
• The real reason John Reynolds (Torgo) appears to have big knees and walks funny is because his character is supposed to be a satyr. Reynolds designed his own prosthetics to make himself look like he had goat's feet. (Note how the wife gasps when she first looks down his feet, which the viewer does not get to see.)
  
  
• Torgo was originally named Igor.
  
  
• The film was shot in two and a half months with a budget of about $19,000.
  
  
• The IMDb ID number for "Manos: The Hands of Fate" ends in 666. Coincidence? Or magic? You decide.
  
  
• The Master's wives were played by a group of models for Mannequin Manor.
  
  
• The Master's "Lodge of Sins" was actually the ranch of then El Paso County Judge, Colbert Coldwell.
  
  
• People attending the premiere at The Capri Theater in El Paso paid $0.35 (Children) $1.25/$1.00 (Adults/with a discount card).
  
  
• The majority of the cast (and crew) never appeared in another movie after this. However, property painter Stephane Goulet went on to work on the film crews of avant-garde short Wavelength (1967) and first IMAX film Tiger Child (1970).
  
  
• As filming dragged on and on, the increasingly disgruntled crew began to refer to the movie as "Mangos: The Cans of Fruit".
  
  
• In addition to his daughter Jackey Neyman playing Debbie, Tom Neyman's wife Jacqueline Neyman made the master and wives' costumes and their dog played the demon dog.
  
  
• Lighting was limited for the film; explaining the infamous scene in which two cops literally take two steps to investigate then turn back.
  
  
• The snake that Michael shoots looks a lot better than the rest of the film because it was stock footage lifted from a Disney nature documentary (this is also why it appears on purple carpet).
  
  
• Quentin Tarantino owns one of the only 35mm copies of the film left in existence. He claims this is his favorite "comedy" of all time.
  
  
• The only two members of the cast that were paid for their performances were Jackey Neyman and the Doberman. Jackey got a bicycle and the Doberman got a bag of dog food. Every other member of the cast was to be paid by a cut of the movie's profits, which, of course, never materialized.
  
  
• Tom Neyman, who plays the master, also helped John Reynolds make Torgo's knees and he painted the portrait of the master and his dog.
  
  
• John Reynolds, who played Torgo, sustained permanent damage to his kneecaps because of the apparatus on them. It's believed that this damage occurred due to the device being worn backwards. He was constantly on painkillers until his suicide.
  
  
• Director Harold P. Warren later approached cinematographer Robert Guidry with another script, this one called "Wild Desert Bikers". Guidry declined.
  
  
• Writer/director/producer/actor Harold P. Warren was an insurance salesman (later a fertilizer salesman) from El Paso. He made a bet with visiting location scout Stirling Silliphant (later an award-winning screenwriter) that he could make a popular horror film on an extremely minimal budget.
  
  
• In lieu of a salary, director Harold P. Warren sold shares to the cast and crew for their hard work and long hours.
  
  
• The city of El Paso was so involved that director Harold P. Warren sent free tickets for the premiere to the press and all the aldermen and the Mayor of El Paso.
  
  
• One day, to mock Harold P. Warren's prima donna attitude to directing, one of the crew impersonated Erich von Stroheim, wearing a safari suit and barking out orders.
  
  
• Harold P. Warren once stated that he left Torgo's fate vague on purpose. If the film was a hit, the sequel was to involve Torgo's return. The sequel was never written.
  
  
• The endless driving sequences at the beginning were supposed to have the opening credits over them, but they were inexplicably left out.
  
  
• The word "Manos" is Spanish for "hands". Therefore, the title really says "Hands: The Hands of Fate". The master's outfit has two red hands on it and Torgo's walking stick has a hand on top of it.
  
  
• If the day or scenes or performances went poorly, director Harold P. Warren would reassure the novice cast that any errors would be fixed in post-production by the magic of Hollywood. They weren't.
  
  
• The movie was given a gala premiere in El Paso upon its release, and many local dignitaries were on hand. Part way into the film, members of the audience began heckling it. Many of the film's cast and crew sneaked out of the theater before the film ended to avoid the embarrassment of having to admit being part of it.
  
  
• Harold P. Warren only did two takes for each shot, and then moved on.
  
  
• Four minutes were cut after the first screening and the opening scene was a re-shoot after the cuts. Originally it started with them just driving.
  
  
• Featured in episode 5.24 of _"Mystery Science Theater 3000" (1993) {'Manos' the Hands of Fate (#5.24)}_.
  
  
• First-billed Tom Neyman's first line isn't until 35 minutes into the movie.
  
  
• Rumors persist among cast and crew that John Reynolds was on LSD during the duration of filming, a claim that would help explain his bizarre behavior and incessant twitching in virtually all of his scenes.
  
  
• Despite the negative reception of the film after its release, Harold P. Warren was so fond of his achievement that he began a yearly custom of wearing the infamous master's robe for Halloween. He did so up until his death in 1985, and since then his son Joe has continued to carry out this tradition.
  
  
• No characters in the film have last names.
  
  

• SPOILER: After the premiere in El Paso, a middle-aged woman attacked Harold P. Warren with her purse. The woman was upset that the little girl, Debbie, becomes one of the master's wives at the end.
  
  

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