Manos Returns Review
Manos: The hands of Fate was one of the hardest “horror” movies I had to sit through. Of course the way I embroil it in apostrophes means it was mostly due to the fact it was the John Dies at the End of its time. But that’s not something that sounds as easy as the reality: the former came out in the late 60s. To make a convoluted story obvious the guy who plays Torgo, John Reynolds, was on hallucinogens at the time. It was one of the few films that sucked the life out of your catharsis by the end due to so many details that a simple review couldn’t cover without AI (which, as can be seen by my Gonzo manner of writing, is absent this time around, fortunately). Manos Returns, in all likelihood, brought me back to Earth with its more recent (and extremely updated) production values, along with a dozen of other things that it gets a little less twisted this time around. From the recreation of the opening credits to the fact three actors reprise their roles (52 years later, somehow) to the way characters from today interact with this awkward af world via funny banter, Manos Returns is an oddly well executed gift for cult fans of the original. If nothing else (especially once you get to the ending that nearly felt like it was as fastidiously surreal as the original) there was also a bit more emotional depth and character development (especially between Torgo and theroad trip characters), along with over-the-top scenes during the final act that only a movie like this could get away with. From a melodramatic fight to a scene that teeters between Tommy Wiseau and Dario Argento (which is fitting since as much The Room is referenced as a sequel to Manos most likely have been possible in the 70s or 80s had Mr. Warren lived in a perfect enough world to make that possible) Manos Returns knew it would only amount to the sum of its parts yet was made by someone who had enough uncommon intelligence to create both a sequel and a spiritual remake in the process. It’s both an inspired antidote, reward, and a treat for anyone who sat through whatever the original film wanted to be in the first place.