RiffTrax Live: Manos - The Hands of Fate

2012
1h 35m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

606

YOUR RATING

RiffTrax Live: Manos - The Hands of Fate (2012)

Comedy Horror

The stars of MST3K riff the classic "Manos - the Hands of Fate" LIVE in front of a nationwide audience! Run, don't stumble-walk-with-accursed-goat-legs to watch RiffTrax Live: Manos!The stars of MST3K riff the classic "Manos - the Hands of Fate" LIVE in front of a nationwide audience! Run, don't stumble-walk-with-accursed-goat-legs to watch RiffTrax Live: Manos!The stars of MST3K riff the classic "Manos - the Hands of Fate" LIVE in front of a nationwide audience! Run, don't stumble-walk-with-accursed-goat-legs to watch RiffTrax Live: Manos!

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

606

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos

Trivia
When this event was played in theaters, there was a skit right before the feature began where Torgo delivers a pizza to Mike, Kevin, and Bill in a nod to the 1993 Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode. Torgo was played by a man named Rupert Talbot Munch Sr. (aka Phil Francis). According to a 2015 Playboy article, this happened only because Munch threatened legal action against Rifftrax over the live event, stating that Manos was still under copyright and that he represented those in control of that copyright. In exchange for letting the live event happen, Munch demanded he be able to appear in it in character as Torgo, and that clips from his then-in-production Manos sequel be shown during the end credits. All scenes of Munch were removed when the live event was released as a video-on-demand and DVD title. As of 2023, Munch's Manos sequel remains unfinished and unreleased.

Crazy credits
In the original live theatrical showings, the ending credits played over a music video of Torgo singing a "Manos"-themed version of "Take It Easy" by the Eagles while clips from the then-in-production Manos 2 played. This was replaced with a standard credit roll for the later VOD version (see trivia).

Alternate versions
The VOD version cuts the segments featuring the lead actor and writer/director of the then in-production Manos 2 playing Torgo. Right before the movie started, Torgo and delivered a pizza to Mike, Kevin, and Bill. There was also an end credits music video segment which featured scenes from Manos 2, and Torgo singing a parody of The Eagles' "Take It Easy". The reason for this removal is covered in 'Trivia'.

Connections
Featured in Rifftrax Live: Hobgoblins (2021)

User reviews1

Review

Featured review

7/10

You're embarrassing me in front of Torgo!

Manos: The Hands of Fate creates the perfect opportunity for Rifftrax, which is why this movie had already been riffed in Mystery Science Theatre 3000. The filmmakers of Manos truly did embarrass themselves, and Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy, and Michael Nelson rip into them for their truly horrible filmmaking. There are many scenes in this film that are ripe for riffing, including:

-two teenagers who never take a break from making out in their car

-parents who lose their only daughter right in front of their eyes

-the never ending fight between Manos's wives

-the inability of the parents to run without tripping

-the policemen who give up in their search after taking a couple of steps

-literally any scene with Torgo

With such prime material, Rifftrax and MST3000 fans should definitely watch this riff. While their riff of Manos isn't quite as funny as their best riffs, such as Birdemic, it is still an above-average addition to Rifftrax. 7/10.