Posted on by

the press release

Independent U.S. distributors Synapse Films have announced that they will release on Blu-ray Harold P. Warren’s Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966), starring Tom Neyman, John Reynolds, and Diane Adelson. Sourced from a brand new 2K restoration, the release will be available for purchase on October 13.

Mike (Harold P. Warren) and Maggie (Diane Mahree), on a road trip with their daughter and family dog, take a wrong turn in Texas and become trapped at a weird lodge inhabited by a polygamous pagan cult. They soon find themselves in the middle of a power struggle between caretaker Torgo (John Reynolds), cult leader The Master (Tom Neyman), and two warring factions of the Master’s wives. As the family tries to escape, the worshipers of “Manos” decide their fate…

MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE, the sole directorial effort of Texas fertilizer salesman Harold P. Warren, perplexed even the most jaded Drive-In audiences and was deemed by many “the worst movie ever made”. Nearly lost, the original 16mm Ektachrome film elements have been finally unearthed and lovingly restored by Ben Solovey to create the definitive version of this accidental masterpiece. There’s no other movie like MANOS… now in HD with picture and sound unseen since 1966.

Cover art by Joel Robinson

SPECIAL FEATURES: • All-new 2K restoration • Audio commentary featuring Tom “The Master” Neyman and Jackey Raye “Debbie” Neyman-Jones • HANDS: THE FATE OF “MANOS” Featurette • RESTORING THE HANDS OF FATE Featurette • FELT: THE PUPPET HANDS OF FATE Featurette • MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE – “Grindhouse Unrestored Version” (BLU-RAY ONLY BONUS)

NOT RATED / 1966 / 74 MINS. / COLOR / 2.0 MONO / 1.33:1/ REGION FREE BLU PRICE: $24.95/ DVD PRICE: $19.95

The Backer Discs

As planned, I’ll be receiving backer discs after they are manufactured, but before they arrive in stores. Your Blu-ray or DVD will be shipped immediately after I get them. The exact ETA will depend on your location.

I’m still taking updates from backers concerning changed addresses, and will continue to do so until the discs arrive for shipment. It’s important to note that Kickstarter has no method to change your survey results, so you’ll need to use the messaging system to contact me directly with address updates.

True to their word, the Synapse discs will be region free, capable of being enjoyed anywhere in the world.

The “Grindhouse Edition”, a Blu-ray exclusive extra, comes from an unrestored 2K transfer directly from my 16mm theatrical print, the same one used for the Rifftrax Live Show (they color corrected it on their own, so don’t expect the exact same image). Unlike the restored version, the Grindhouse edition will be released under a creative commons attribution license, free to use and remix as you see fit. DVD-only backers won’t necessarily be without the Grindhouse edition for long, though… more on that soon.

8 thoughts on “the press release”

    • No, it won’t. There are not enough differences in content between the material you’ll see on the disc and the untouched version. We opted instead to include a straight, one-light transfer of one of the two remaining theatrical prints as an extra.

  4. One thing – the Blu-Ray is region-free, but Synapse only posts within the continental US. “Because of our North American licensing agreements with our specific granted rights, we are only allowed to ship within the continental U.S. and Canada.”

    I’d be perfectly happy if someone bought a copy and shipped it to me here in the UK, in exchange for $24.95 + p&p via PayPal. Amazon.com seems to list it but I’m not sure (“multiformat?”) and retailers in the UK don’t stock it, presumably because it’s only famous from MST3K, which was never shown here.

    • You’re better served by ordering from Amazon or Diabolikdvd.com. “Multiformat”, for some reason, refers to the blu-ray edition (there is no DVD / Blu-ray combo pack).

Leave a Reply