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barb4ry1's review against another edition
4.0
Based on one of the worst movies ever made, Manos makes fun of the original and doesn’t treat itself seriously.
People who didn’t know what they were doing produced the movie. They were trying really hard and this over-the-topness acquired Manoa a cult following. The book remains faithful to the original, but contrary to the original movie crew, Stephen D. Sullivan knows his craft well and uses it to a great comedic effect.
Mike, Margaret, their young daughter Debbie, and toy poodle Pepe drive into the West Texas countryside for a relaxing family vacation. Instead, they discover an evil cult of undead polygamists led by The Master and his half-human servant, Torgo.
The beginning is confusing as characters appear and disappear, and narrator joyously head-hops while commenting everything we witness the way a seasoned omniscient horror-host would do:
The story makes fun not only of the source material but also of the 1960s tropes:
There’s no character development or world-building. We get a series of bad, interconnected vignettes made hilarious by a snarky narrator. I admit I considered DNF-ing the book in the beginning, but once I got past 30%, I couldn’t put it down.
I laughed. Loud. Manos is hilarious, especially for readers who love bad movies.
People who didn’t know what they were doing produced the movie. They were trying really hard and this over-the-topness acquired Manoa a cult following. The book remains faithful to the original, but contrary to the original movie crew, Stephen D. Sullivan knows his craft well and uses it to a great comedic effect.
Mike, Margaret, their young daughter Debbie, and toy poodle Pepe drive into the West Texas countryside for a relaxing family vacation. Instead, they discover an evil cult of undead polygamists led by The Master and his half-human servant, Torgo.
The beginning is confusing as characters appear and disappear, and narrator joyously head-hops while commenting everything we witness the way a seasoned omniscient horror-host would do:
Margaret is trembling, and Mike can hardly blame her. This relaxing vacation trip is rapidly turning into a nightmare. (Of course, these two are the only ones surprised by this; the rest of us - and even Pepe - knew it was coming from the start.)
The story makes fun not only of the source material but also of the 1960s tropes:
Margaret throws back her head and screams. “Mike! Mike!” Because this is the 1960s, rather than hit Torgo again - knock ‘im down and keep ‘im down, I say!- Margaret would prefer to be rescued by a man. And since there aren’t any real men around, her husband will do.
There’s no character development or world-building. We get a series of bad, interconnected vignettes made hilarious by a snarky narrator. I admit I considered DNF-ing the book in the beginning, but once I got past 30%, I couldn’t put it down.
I laughed. Loud. Manos is hilarious, especially for readers who love bad movies.
mastertorgo's review against another edition
5.0
This is the novelization of the movie that I didn't realize I wanted. The author does a fantastic job of both revering the source material while giving it the irreverence it deserves. The narrator has a beautiful Snark that reminds me of Joe Bob Briggs at his best. I am anxious to find his scary version, Manos: Talons of Fate. If you are a Follower of Manos, this is the gospel.
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