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| Notice a difference? Two views of Diane Mahree in Manos: The Hands of Fate |
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| A Manos poster |
One of the most exciting restoration campaigns in film today is the project currently underway to refurbish Hal Warren's 1966 cult horror classic
Manos: The Hands of Fate, often hailed as one of the worst films ever made, to its full glory.
Manos, of course, was featured on a memorable episode of
Mystery Science Theater 3000 back in 1993 and has been legendary among film fans and devotees of the bizarre ever since. When I recently heard of this restoration project, I was skeptical. After all,
Manos was probably one of the worst-looking films I had ever seen -- grainy, washed-out, almost unwatchable at times. Over the years, the film had slipped into the public domain, so the print used on MST3K and on countless bargain basement DVDs ever since was a very low-quality transfer. What could you possibly do with
Manos, I thought?
Well, one visit to the project's web site,
Manos in HD, changed my mind. Compare the following two images, both from the scene in which Maggie (Diane Mahnee) slaps Torgo (John Reynolds) after the latter makes a clumsy pass. The difference, I think you will agree, is astonishing. Not only is the picture brighter and clearer, but you can actually see more of the room! This is excellent work and deserves our support. Why not make a donation today?
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| A still from the restored Manos with John Reynolds and Diane Mahree |
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| That same moment in the public domain print of Manos |
And don't forget that the original, unrestored
Manos is
returning to theaters nationwide on August 16, 2012 with commentary by the Rifftrax crew -- Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett, all veterans of
MST3K.
