Hi fellow Mysties! Here’s an update for you on the “Manos” universe:
The factually inept Canadian short film “Hotel Torgo” is a film documenting “Manos: The Hands of Fate” (1966). The premise of the film was that Bernie Rosenblum (who played “teenager in car”) was the lone surviving cast member of the “cursed, worst movie ever made,” and that the others met mysterious, untimely (and sometimes grizzly) deaths. Untrue! Simply not the case (sorry my crazy Canuck friends). In fact, besides Bernie, I have found and recruited The Master, himself: Tom Neyman, Jackey Raye Neyman-Jones (Debbie), and now…. wait for it……
Diane Mahree, who played “Maggie”, the beautiful young wife of Michael (Hal Warren). Long thought to have died in a fiery car crash in the ’80s, Diane is alive and well. As if that isn’t cool enough (which it is), it just so happens that her story is nothing short of incredible! Shortly after “Manos,” Diane was discovered by Eileen Ford/Wilhelmina Models and in 1968 launched a 20+ year career as a supermodel (as Diane Rystadt). She worked with all the greatest designers, photographers, and magazines in the world…gracing the covers Vogue and Bazaar, etc. She dined with kings, dated royalty (and rock n’ roller Cat Stevens) and hung out with all the celebrities of the time. She was friends with Bridgette Bardot, Rod Stewart and had infamous encounters with Mick Jagger/Jeri Hall, and even Salvador Dali (who put a curse on her!!!). She would later go on to help organize the roots of what would later become The Telluride Film Festival, and helped design some of the great ski slopes in Aspen, Colo. (yes, she was an avid snow bunny).
It wasn’t until she heard of my sequel (and the fact that I was trying to do something special, and not just a crappy, self-aware goof) that she contacted me via 3rd party. She agreed to read my script. She really loved it, and after much debate “decided to go for one last ride on the merry-go-round” and join our cast. She is a lovely, modern-day renaissance gem of a woman, and we are ecstatic to have her on board. We hope you all dig it too!
In other “Manos: The Search for Valley Lodge” News:
CAST:
Ryan “Big Deal” Jimmo, current MFC Light Heavyweight Champion (winner of 16 consecutive fights) and recently signed to a UFC contract, stars as “Joe Miller.”
Joe Neal Warren (son of Hal Warren) will be playing “Michael”… the role his father played.
Erik Peterson (“TorgosPizza” of Rifftrax) is playing “Carl”.
Bryan Jennings III (son of The Sheriff in the original “Manos” film) is playing “The Sheriff” in our film.Also, in case you didn’t know, other stars (earlier announced) include: Former WWE Superstar Gene (“it’s not mu fault”) Snisky, Playboy Playmate/WWE Diva Maria Kanellis and of course, from the original film, Tom Neyman, and Jackey Raye Neyman Jones.
CREW:
Tim Martin (Make-Up F/X Wiz) who has worked on the Spiderman, X-Men, Superman, Fantastic Four, AVP, and Hellboy franchises (to name a few), is our creature/make-up designer!
Jay Lee (director/writer/producer of cult film “Zombie Strippers”) is our Director of Photography!We are very saddened to inform everyone that Bernie Rosenblum recently suffered a stroke and will be unable to star in our film. We offer our deepest sympathies to Bernie and his family, and will pray for his full recovery.
We also wanted to formally announce that Andy Cope and Eric Hueber of Alonestar films, filmmakers of the awesome film: “Rainbow’s End” are making their next film, a documentary on our sequel, tentatively called “Making Manos 2, The Sequel of Fate.” They have been following us and recording our exploits as they happen. Crazy!
And, finally, we want to share with you our newly designed website! The “official” and authoritative source for all things “Manos”. Enjoy!
Cheers!
Rupert Talbot Munch Sr. / Torgo
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Update on ‘Manos: The Search for Valley Lodge’We’ve received another update from Robert Munch, who is working on “Manos: The Search for Valley Lodge,” the Manos sequel, which begins filming in El Paso next week. Take it away, Rupert!
55 Replies to “Update on ‘Manos: The Search for Valley Lodge’”Commenting at Satellite News
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Wow. That’s amazing about Dianne Mahree, though she certainly was hot enough to be a super-model.
The reports of Dianne Mahree death have been greatly exaggerated
Wow! Great to hear how well she did in her career. And the movie sounds great…can’t wait!
This can’t be good. I wonder if Troll 2: Part 2 will be out in time to compete with it. No I don’t.
This is gonna suck!!! :curse: :-X I will not pay to watch Snitsky or Maria again. Stop calling him a “Superstar”!!! You couldn’t find real actors so you just got a bunch of random people who are in dire need of a paycheck?
The casting blew it. Should have gotten Michael J. Nelson
to play Torgo (just don’t put in a scene with him
delivering pizza).
We won’t know if it’s going to suck or not until it comes out,then we can criticize and judge.Am I looking forward to this? More curious than excited..
Hmm, for those of us who follow professional wrestling and would understand the lingo, my “this is a massive work” antennae are tingling. It just doesn’t intuitively feel true. Would be awesome if it actually is, but it sounds so completely made up I’m surprised the story didn’t break on Coast to Coast AM.
Ryan “Big Deal” Jimmo, current MFC Light Heavyweight Champion (winner of 16 consecutive fights) and recently signed to a UFC contract, stars as “Joe Miller.”
Bet he knows a lot of good jokes! ;)
From the trailers on the website it looks like they’re not taking it very seriously. Very tongue in cheek.
I’m going to have to call “Horse****” on this one, as much as I hate to…google ‘Diane Rystadt’ and you’ll find nothing…surely a “SUPERMODEL” with all of these connections would have at least 1 lousey picture on the web…PROVE ME WRONG I HOPE I AM
I don’t know what to think of this Manos sequel stuff. I’m glad it’s not being done as a tongue in cheek “spoof” type sequel like the unwatchable mess that was “Hobgoblins 2” (take a guy who couldn’t make a genuinely funny movie to begin with, and then twenty some years later have him try in vain to make a new intentionally crappy movie that spoofs his own original unintentionally crappy movie and what you get is just two layers of crap), but I’m also wondering why anyone would actually want to see a serious sequel to Manos. It’s not like the original is a good film. It’s most definitely not. And it’s not like it was a complex, thought provoking, or original story that one would want to see continued, or even that it actually left off with anything all that interesting that could be explored in a sequel. And it’s also not being made by the original film makers, which is really the only thing about a Manos sequel that I could imagine grabbing my attention (yes I know it would be impossible for that to happen, what with the original director/writer having passed away, but that’s beside the point). And it’s got relatives, and UFC fighters, and wrestlers, and wrestling “divas”/Playmates in it instead of actors. I’d be interested in a good documentary about the original film, or a restored release of the original film, but as for this sequel business I can’t say I care all that much. But good luck to the makers, and I hope it goes well for you and you do make a good film. I’ll check out the trailers as soon as those are online, and I’ll probably even check out the movie if it’s ever available on Netflix or something.
@Not #11…
From 1977. Check out the caption under the big picture of the two women…
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OP4QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WZIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6972,2568147&dq=diane+rystadt&hl=en
I can’t say if it’s her or not from that picture, but it does kind of confirm there was a fashion model back in the 1970’s named Diane Rystadt.
I’m more interested in the project going on over at ‘manos’ in hd. It seems that the fellow over at Manos in HD has acquired the original work print of the film, and is working from that. Honestly the frames he has up from the work print compared to the public domain version are amazing…and this is without cleaning up the film first!
I know I’m not supposed show up and debate my own project, etc. But I’d like to speak on a few things. @#11, I assure you, she is real. I have seen her entire portfolio. It’s sick. To all… I know you have very valid points about me, my film, my cast, etc. All I will say is: I worked very hard to make sense out of what “story/ideas” were left behind from the first film (and that was a doozy). But, we have a fun, trippy, action-packed (chicks wailin’ on each other)entertaining film on the way. @#5 It’s not snisky’s fault! And so you know. I hired Gene cuz he is one of the scariest looking men I have ever seen. Could care less that he was a wrestler. As for Maria Kanellis…again, happenstance that she was in the WWE. The reality is: She is a dead ringer for a young Diane Mahree. (food for thought). These casting choices aren’t as random as you think.
@ # 14 I am the one potentially financing the HD project. Although it’s not official. If they decide to not work with me, I have the original film, and 6 canisters of “Never-before-seen” footage of outtakes/edits. My plan is to release a new edit(with new footage, sound design), along side a Blu Ray quality print of the original. If they don’t want me to fund it… I’ll release my own version anyway. And for the record, I started this process 2 years ago, before the fella above came public. FYI Take care all. Best. ToRgO
Hey Rupert, two quick questions, is the film going to be set back in the 60’s after the original, or in modern day, and is it being shot on film?
So I guess she also “knows where the children play-ay-ay-ay ay!”
sorry.
In reference to Cronkite Moonshine’s post…
I’m sure that’s her. I’m working on my Ph.D. in cognitive psychology, specifically recognition memory for faces. As such, I’ve been spending a helluva lotta time lately looking at faces and conducting research on how people tell if two images are the same person in spite of featural changes between them. Look closely at Cronkite’s image, (@ 13) then at this image from Manos in HD: http://i.imgur.com/cTDeJl.jpg
The sunglasses occlude her eyes (which unfortunately are the best clues to identity judgment) but the hair is parted in the same spot, the forehead’s about the same size, and the facial outline is the same. Of course, we have no reason to doubt Rupert’s story about “Diane Rystadt” but as long as we are calling it into question I’ll just throw my two cents in.
By the way, Dr. Clayton Forrester was a big inspiration for me to go to grad school…
Hm, is the curse Salvador Dali put on her that she doesn’t show up at all on Google?
Nevertheless, if it is her I’m sure she has some interesting stories to tell…
Rupert:
Fun? Trippy? Action-packed (“chicks wailin’–I assume you mean “whalin'”–on each other)?? I dunno–not sure how much any of that evokes the spirit of the original “Manos,” (even if that’s what the final product looks like) but I’m willing to suspend judgement until the film is out. But I must say–the more you talk about it, the worse I feel. I’ll echo Cronkite’s fears that this doesn’t become “Hobgoblins 2”–although even the original “Hobgoblins” was more tongue-in-cheek than the original “Manos.” I’m not suggesting that “Manos” is a cinematic masterpiece, but it has an integrity and a sincerity that not only highlights the awfulness of the execution, but also makes it more fascinating. Personally, I thought “Hobgoblins” was terrible precisely because it was trying to draw attention to how bad it was–and I have less respect for that than I do for guys like Ed Wood, Coleman Francis, and Hal Warren, who made terrible, rotten movies to be sure, but did them with a special kind of dignity that’s absent both in stuff like “Hobgoblins” and in utterly soulless, big-budget studio garbage (like, say, “Gigli” or “Freddie Got Fingered”) I can watch “Manos”–both with and without Joel and the Bots–many times, but I can’t bring myself to sit through “Hobgoblins” again (even in MST form). That may sound weird, but I think it’s worth keeping in mind.
I’m also puzzled by the lack of information on Diane Rystadt–the link Cronkite Moonshot provides is to Melbourne’s The Age, which seems rather curious for the sole picture of a “supermodel.” If you could provide us with some links it might clear up a bit of the mystery.
Feyd:
I did the comparison and, even with my crappy eye for face recognition, came to the same conclusion–it could be her. Now, the question–what’s she doing in Australia? (not that Melbourne’s a bad place to be–heck, I’d be there right now if someone wanted me there).
LOL Manny gets the gold star for the day.
Blast:
That is a good question, something for a social psychologist to answer! I’m sure the lady herself will have a decent explanation in the form of a bonus feature on the Bluray. Or, our friend Rupert will elucidate (Crow: huh? / Tom: uhh… show ’em).
Always thought Diane was too beautiful and special to just disappear…whoever tracks down all those photos and makes a youtube tribute video (please pick good music for it though) has my undying gratitude.
@ # 16 1) yes, the sequel takes place directly following the events of the first film. There is a linear nature to the film. Much of it, however, takes place in current date/time as well. (45+ years later). 2) No… Canon 7D. @20 Look. I’m not going to purposely make a “bad” movie…can’t be done. I’m smart enough to know that “Manos” was bad because it had dignity in the execution. I will make the best film I can, considering I am making it for the equivalent budget of the original (adjusted for today’s economy). I am trying to honor Hal Warren by filming in El Paso. I cast many “wives” from the local modeling agency there…and I am extrapolating my story from what “plot devices” my puny brain could comprehend from the “original”. My vision of this will never be the same as any of yours. But I will give this my very best shot to make a good film. This isn’t a “tongue-in-cheek” Hobgoblins 2 joint. This is a film about a demon sorcerer who kidnaps women and children to propagate an evil polygamist cult in the name of an “Elder God”. Jackey (Debbie) is my “heroine”…and she gathers a group of people who have all seen there loved one’s go “Missing”. They head into The Master’s realm and try to end his reign of terror. There are demons, monsters, and chicks “whalin” on each other (but for a much better reason). Look, you will watch, or you won’t… but I’m going to finish my film, and I am sharing all the proceeds (if any) with all the original cast members and their immediate families. Ironically, I’m the one person out there NOT raping Hal’s Vision, but embracing it and trying to take care of his legacy. Peace. BTW #20, I will post a Diane Mahree’s Vogue and Bazaar covers on my FB if it will make you feel better, Chief.
“Elder God”, eh?! Sounds deliciously Lovecraftian, I look forward to it regardless of the Manos connection!
I’m very curious. I met you (you meet a lot of people, I’m not worried if you don’t remember me) at last years’ Comic-Con, and when I asked “Hey, didn’t Torgo, you know, die at the end of the film?” you said that he didn’t. That said, my follow-up question’s a bit late… so, basically, aren’t he and Michael sort of fighting for the same job (“taking care of the place while the master is away”)? I’m guessing this’ll be addressed in the film, because you’ve actually CAST Michael. It’s nice that you didn’t say “Oh, the hell with that plot point, it’s Torgo everyone wants” and kept that plot point. So therefore I believe you’re taking it seriously, and might actually drag the decent story out of this that the original film could have had.
Rupert:
Thanks for your candour–I may sound like I’ve already pegged you before you’ve even shot a frame, but I actually haven’t–in fact, I wish you all the best, because I really, really want this to be a success–and, of course, I’d be a total jerk if I thought you didn’t want the same thing. I guess I wanted to provoke you into saying exactly what you said–sorry if I stepped on your toes. I don’t know what kind of distribution you’re going to have, but if the film does come to my town, I’ll go and see it. Or, if I have to wait for a DVD, I’ll certainly buy it. And whether you care or not what I think of it, rest assured that I will do my best to watch it with a very open mind. Godspeed.
And yes, please post the covers–I’m more interested in than skeptical about Diane Mahree’s career–you certainly got my attention with Cat Stevens and Mick Jagger (if for no other reason than you can now play Six Degrees of Separation and put those guys together!)
@20 “which seems rather curious for the sole picture of a ‘supermodel.'”
===================================
I think supermodel is a bit of hyperbole, there are thousands of models at any given time, and even the very successful ones aren’t necessarily anywhere close to household names. It would be cool if someone had a ****load of fashion magazines from the 70’s and could comb through them for Diane Mahree pictures to scan but that’s not going to happen. She was strikingly beautiful.
I always thought the woman in Manos was good-looking, even if the low-budget film stock and wardrobe didn’t really show her off very well. I’ll assume she really did become a model unless someone definitively shows otherwise.
Ah Robert, you brave, brave man. Keep up the good fight in making a dream movie!! Don’t let these buttholes get you down, deep down they all wish they could do the same thing. Definitely sorry to hear about Bernie. But definitely stoked to hear about Dianne Mahree! You just never know, do you. Everyone comes from somewhere.
@ 28 and @ 31. It’s all good, my friends. I am but a lowly Torgo heading into the desert (today) to shoot a “Manos” film, lol. I think we all are best to proceed w/ a grain of salt. But, I will try my very best to make you all a decent film. All I can do, right? @29 You have a point. But at the time, when she was doing what she did, her and those like her were defining what the term “supermodel” meant. It was like… there was Twiggy…and her and her friends at the time. And that was it. I Can’t remember the woman’s name (Diane knows), but her best runnin’ buddy @ the time is the girl Rod Stewart wrote “Hot Legs” about (as they all toured Australia together). But, I’ll let her tell some of these awesome stories in our documentary. Ok, on the road, kiddies. Thanks for letting me come on your boards and pimp my 2 cents. Peace and chicken grease…. Fondely. ToRgO
I’m glad to hear that the sequel is still moving forward, I was beginning to think it had lost steam!
There is apparently an effort underway to restore the original “Manos: The Hands of Fate” and put it on Blu-ray. Here’s the guy’s site: http://www.manosinhd.com/?page_id=277 He was really lucky to find a “working” (ie: totally unedited) print of the film that didn’t look like every frame was a “last known photograph”, which he’s already had professionally cleaned and properly stored. With Torgo in HD, maybe we may be able to see those Satyr feet now and not just the big knees!
@ 33 and everyone: on “Manos in HD”. The gentlemen who owns the print and I have spoken at length. Barring any contract bog-downs, I am planning on funding his restoration. And tho he has a “working” print. I have legal possession of the “Originals” (all of them) and I also have 6 canisters of outtakes/edits/bonus mats! I had the idea to restore “Manos” in HD 2 years ago. Jackey Neyman-Jones (Debbie)sent me the link to the guy making “Manos HD”. So, I was like: WTF? (so was Hall Warren’s son, He is tired of everyone raping his dads creation, tho it was his own fault for not copyrighting the film). So, I approached the young man and since he is so passionate about the material, offered to fund the project. To that end, he is more focused on keeping the history alive, whereas I want to do something more. I plan on releasing a “special edition” of “Manos” w/ new footage, sound design, voice acting, edits, soundtrack…all from ideas from Hal Warren himself! (he had told his son of plans to do so). So, there will be an HD version of “Manos” and my “special edition” (for fun… I know this will piss off a lot of peeps, but… relax, lol). I will have cast commentary, interviews, and tons of fun features. Keep in mind, as I’ve said before… I am sharing all my profits w/ the original cast members and (in some cases) their families. I encouraged the young man to do the same… however, I don’t think he shares my vision/ethics in this. That could ultimately be a deal breaker. But, if he prefers to go it alone, I will still pursue this myself. I just prefer us to be working together. After all, I always try to work w/ people who are passionate for the material. Ok. Off to the desert. Peace~ Torgo
Its pretty much a win win. make it a boxed set, the original manos in hd and the special edition, AND the sequel, and don’t forget the bonus disc;)
I have a great idea for another bonus doc on the next SHOUTFACTORY set:
“Women from crappy films who went on to better things”
Doloris Fuller and Diane Rystadt are a start. There must be others.
Just a thought.
Rupert:
Wow, this could get interesting. Competing restorations of “Manos”–who knew? This kind of thing happens in literature occasionally, when an author dies with unpublished/unrevised work and the family members (and those close to them) have one vision, and an independent third party has another–and both are sorta right, but come up with very different final products. ‘Course, I can’t think of any examples off the top of my head, but this story sounds very, very familiar. It would be great if you guys could work together–I’d certainly love to see a DVD that had (a) a restored original, (b) a new version that followed Hal Warren’s plans to revise the soundtrack, (c) lots of archival footage, outtakes, and the like, and (d) all the usual DVD extras: interviews, commentaries, and such. If that doesn’t happen, it would seem that original materials trump even a finished workprint–do you have the camera negatives, by any chance? Probably too much to ask.
BTW, a question about copyright: the Shout! Factory DVD of the MST “Manos” says that the film is “under license from the Peter Rodgers Organization”: who is that, and what kind of legal claim do they have to the original film? Just curious.
Actually, this sounds a lot more interesting than I originally thought it would be. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product.
Did I really just write that about a sequel to “Manos”?
The orginial manos is still under copyright so you may have trouble clearing the rights to do this. Unless of course you’ve already ventured down that avenue.
Rupert:
I’m totally on board with attempting to make the best little horror movie you can with the same adjusted-for-inflation resources; limited resources have been know to inspire feats of creativity. After all, would “Jaws” be half as memorable if the damned shark actually worked?
What condition are the camera original reels in? It was shot on Ektachrome, right? Kodak, at least, did not actually offer 16mm in color negative until later in the 60’s, and I guess Kodachrome would’ve blown Hal’s budget!
The plot thickens!
From the manosinhd guy…
“Hmm. This guy (Rupert) has talked to me on the phone a few times but I really don’t know where he got these ideas. I distinctly remember telling him that he would have to donate just like everyone else.
He did offer me a ‘percentage’ for compensation though.”
#37- It’s happened with Tolkien a few times.
Rupert seems like the perfect person to make a sequel to Manos. His sense of self-importance rivals that of Hal Warren himself!
Well, time will tell if ManosHD guy and I find enough common ground to work together. I feel we recently had a good chat where both sides were understood. I will retract my statement about funding his restoration as he just informed me he will fund it himself via donations. We also still disagree on the subject of helping the families of the “Manos” survivors… but then, I have been told by everyone I work with that I am crazy for doing so. This should by no means demonize ManosHD guys if he chooses not to cut in the “Manos” survivors, etc. He plans on using any profits he makes to perpetuate the restoration process back to film and archiving. That is noble. But, at the end of the day, I just feel sharing the wealth is the way I prefer to go…karma and whatnot. And I DID offer him percentages for his services on my special edition, and furthermore offered him opportunities moving forward with my sequel. Again, to set the record straight, I think we want the same things… I just prefer not to be competing… rather working together for similar goals. I think ManosHD is a good kid w/ his heart in the right place… but I also hear the other side… the side of people profiting off of Hal Warren because of his EPIC mistake (public domain, etc). I am working hand in hand with Joe Warren (Hal’s Son) who is the living authority on Hal and explicitly knew his dads wishes and ambitions as to what became of his footage/film. I am here to make those wishes a reality, and to make sure his family is compensated. Soon, you will here this from Joe himself as he will be the voice of “The Special Edition” project. Joe is an awesome guy (and a former Professional MLB baseball player!). I think ManosHD guy can be of great service to our cause… so, for the record, I hope he joins our team… either way, looks like all of you are in a win-win scenario regardless of how the factions choose to move forward. Ok, gtg…To El Paso and beyond!!! ~ R
I’m trying to picture what some of those actors look like 45 years older.
The only real question I have: where will Rupert park has gaily-painted stagecoach from which to hawk this film in a thick 1890s Vaudville accent while wearing a boater, striped jacket and waving a cane?
Goddesses and Gods everywhere save us from film students.
Suffice it to say that Diane Rystadt didn’t get much press. Zero hits on Bing besides the two this site.
Randy
@46 Wow! Huge slam on film students from out of nowhere! A lot of famous movie directors were once film students you know. ;)
@48 LOL, for the record I was exercising hyperbole (if it wasn’t obvious). Though I did know a couple film students personally for a time and they were both the human equivalent of rusty nails being dragged across a chalkboard.
Having said that though, skeptical as I am regarding this ‘Diane Rystadt’ issue, its all in good, non-malicious fun :)
Lookin’ forward to seeing how this film actually turns out in the bizarre sense, but just so you know, that Snitsky catchphrase was “It wasn’t my fault!”.