Manos: The Hands of Fate - Plot

Plot

While on a road trip, Michael (Hal Warren), Margaret (Diane Mahree), their young daughter Debbie (Jackey Neyman Jones) and their dog, Peppy, search for the "Valley Lodge". Michael and his family finally reach a house which is tended by the bizarre, satyr-like Torgo (John Reynolds), who takes care of the house "while the Master is away". Michael and Margaret ask Torgo for directions to Valley Lodge; Torgo simply replies that "here is no way out of here. It'll be dark soon. There is no way out of here." With this information, Michael asks Torgo to let him and his family stay the night, despite objections from both Torgo and Margaret.

Inside the home, the family sees a disturbing painting of a dark, malevolent-looking man and a black dog with glowing eyes; the man it depicts is the Master. Margaret becomes frightened upon hearing an ominous howl; Michael investigates, retrieving a flashlight and revolver from his car, and finds Peppy lying dead on the ground. Torgo reveals his attraction to Margaret and tells her that, although she is doomed to become yet another bride of The Master, he intends to keep her for himself. Margaret threatens to tell Michael of Torgo's advances, but Torgo convinces her not to say anything to her husband by promising to protect her. Michael returns, unable to start the car. With the revelation that there is no phone in the house, the family reluctantly decides to stay the night.

Michael and Margaret stumble upon "The Master" (Tom Neyman) and several women dressed in translucent nightgowns, later revealed to be his wives. They are all asleep. Torgo ties Michael to a pole and The Master suddenly comes to life. His wives also awake, and a short argument over the fate of the family ensues. The Master decides he must sacrifice Torgo and his first wife to the film's mysterious deity and namesake, "Manos". When The Master leaves, his wives engage in further argument that soon degenerates into a fight, and the women wrestle in the sand.

Torgo succumbs to what appears to be a hypnotic spell by The Master. The Master stops the fight, and has his first wife tied to a pole to be sacrificed. Torgo is laid on a stone bed, where he is attacked by The Master's other wives, but this in itself does not prove fatal. Evoking some mysterious power, The Master severs and horribly burns Torgo's left hand. Torgo runs off into the darkness, waving the burning stump that remains. The Master laughs maniacally and goes to look for the family and subsequently sacrifices his first wife.

Michael and his family barricade themselves in one of the rooms of the house, where The Master confronts them. Michael fires several shots into The Master's face at point-blank range, but they have no effect. The screen fades to black, likely indicating that The Master has again applied his hypnotic power.

An undisclosed amount of time later, an entranced Michael (in Torgo's stead) greets two new lost travelers. Margaret and Debbie have become wives of The Master. The film concludes with Michael saying, "I take care of the place while the Master is away." The production credits are superimposed over past scenes from the film with the words: "The End?"