History YMMV / ManosTheHandsOfFate

* CrazyAwesome: It's hard not to like Torgo.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: You know things are bad when the closest thing to a hero the movie has is a creep like Torgo.

** John Reynolds (Torgo) ''did'' commit suicide shortly before the film was released, but there is nothing to suggest it was related to his experiences with the film and [[https://debbiesmanos.blogspot.com/2012/10/john-reynoldstorgo-story-i.html he was never "crippled" by his satyr prostheses (which were not self-made)]].

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Margaret was probably ''supposed'' to be TheWoobie, based on how much bad stuff happens to her and how she keeps crying, but, due to a combination of terrible acting and generally coming across as ''way'' too whiny and helpless (such as spending most the the time Torgo is bothering her crying out to Mike for help instead of making any attempt to escape), she's just annoying instead.

* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: Averted...only by the fact that it's not an official licensed game.

** In the Director's Cut: Stage 7 due to being full of long jumps on single-brick platforms all while avoiding severl [=UFOs=] that can and ''will'' knock you into the many, ''many'' pits.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Manos could have been ''really'' disturbing, if you look at the core plot or the idea behind them. You're lost in the desert, and the only person willing to take you and your family for the night is twitchy yet well-meaning, except when he randomly ''begs you to leave''. It gets worse from there. The ending in particular could have been effective and chilling in more competent hands.

* CompleteMonster: TheMaster is an undead occultist worshipping the [[JerkassGods evil god Manos]] who happily performs {{human sacrifice}}s for his deity. He keeps a harem of wives which he [[DomesticAbuse disposes of as he sees fit]], burning one alive after growing bored of her to appease Manos. When a small family is lured into his keep by his servant Torgo, he first kills the family dog. He tries to kill Torgo for touching his wives in their sleep, [[{{Fingore}} hacking off Torgo's hand]] in the process. He does this not because what Torgo did disgusts him, but because he considers them his alone. Then he forces both Michael's wife Margaret and his little daughter Debbie to become his new brides. He finally turns Michael himself into another brainless servant like Torgo before him to lure in more victims.

* SnarkBait: Its popularity is a clear case of this. It usually ranks high among the worst movies featured on [=MST3K=]. The Podcast/RiffTrax remake of it was very highly anticipated; apparently, ''Manos'' was one of the most common requests for riffing.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Manos could have been ''really'' disturbing, if you look at the core plot or the idea behind them. You're lost in the desert, and the only person willing to take you and your family for the night is twitchy yet well-meaning, except when he randomly ''begs you to leave''. It gets worse from there.
** The ending in particular could have been effective and chilling in more competent hands.
* UncannyValley: Debbie was dubbed over by someone who ''clearly'' wasn't a little girl. The little girl playing her cried when she first heard the dub, and one can hardly blame her.

* ILikedItBetterWhenItSucked: How some fans feel about the restoration.

* HarsherInHindsight:
* HilariousInHindsight: A creepy cult leader and his multiple wives live on a remote West Texas compound...the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YFZ_Ranch Warren Jeffs saga]] had some interesting similarities to the movie.

%%* EnsembleDarkhorse: Torgo
* HilariousInHindsight:

** A creepy cult leader and his multiple wives live on a remote West Texas compound...the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YFZ_Ranch Warren Jeffs saga]] had some interesting similarities to the movie.

* EarWorm:
** The only truly disturbing thing about this movie [[spoiler:except maybe the ending]] is how thoroughly the haunting '"Torgo's Theme'" gets stuck in your head.
** The ending theme "[[http://youtu.be/RV-o9R25gNc Forgetting You]]" is surprisingly catchy.
* EnsembleDarkhorse: Torgo

* CompleteMonster: TheMaster is an undead occultist worshipping the [[JerkassGods evil god Manos]] who happily performs {{human sacrifice}}s for his deity. He keeps a harem of wives which he [[DomesticAbuser disposes of as he sees fit]], burning one alive after growing bored of her to appease Manos. When a small family is lured into his keep by his servant Torgo, he first kills the family dog. He tries to kill Torgo for touching his wives in their sleep, [[{{Fingore}} hacking off Torgo's hand]] in the process. He does this not because what Torgo did disgusts him, but because he considers them his alone. Then he forces both Michael's wife Margaret and his little daughter Debbie to become his new brides. He finally turns Michael himself into another brainless servant like Torgo before him to lure in more victims.

** Some sources have assumed that Robin Redd (who plays one of the Master's wives) is actually character actress [[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0714668/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t68 Mary-Robin Redd]] due to [[[NamesTheSame their similar names]]. But Mary-Robin Redd was already an established stage and television actress by this time, whereas the film's Robin Redd (like the Master's other wives) was a model from El Paso.

* AwesomeMusic: "[[http://youtu.be/RV-o9R25gNc Forgetting You]]"

** The female vocalist who sang "This Magic Circle" and "Forgetting You" (Nicki Mathis) remembered the film's composers acting weird during the recording session, and suspected they were on drugs, which would explain the more bizarre elements of the score.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: Well, director Hal Warren was by all accounts perfectly lucid during the production, but Torgo's actor John Reynolds was known to use various recreational drugs such as LSD, explaining his various twitchy behaviors and mannerisms on-screen.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Did Torgo legitimately want to help the family escape or was he just going to do it to spite the Master? He did try to warn them when they first arrived...

%%* CultClassic

* SpecialEffectFailure: Torgo's is supposed to have backwards goat legs, but he ends up just looking like he's got giant knees.

* NoProblemWithLicensedGames: Averted...only by the fact that it's not an official licensed game.

* CommonKnowledge: Harold P. Warren ''did'' work as a fertilizer salesman, but that was after the film was made. At the time he was an insurance agent.

* SpecialEffectFailure: Torgo's is supposed to have backwards goat legs, but he ends up just looking like he's got giant knees. The non-professional actor made the leg prostheses himself and worked for free, so you get what you pay for.

* IAmNotShazaam: The Master is ''not'' Manos, he is simply his priest or... whatever.