Hal Warren

Warren made Manos on a bet. He had met Stirling Silliphant, who was in the area scouting locations for a film. Warren bet Silliphant (who would later write the award winning screenplay for In the Heat of the Night) that he could make a successful horror movie on a limited budget.

Warren raised about $19,000 for the film. He managed to find an old 16-millimeter Bell & Howell camera to use on the film. Because the camera was spring wound, it could only shoot just over 30 seconds of film at a time. After casting himself in the starring role of Michael, he approached locals to play the other roles in the film, as well as fill crew positions on the film. He did not pay anyone, instead promising people a percentage of the profits on the film. Warren and two others also dubbed all the voices in the film.

For two months, Warren, the cast, and crew engaged in shooting the film at County Judge Colbert Coldwell's ranch. His prima donna attitude caused much friction among those working on the film, who began calling the film Mangoes: Cans of Fruit behind his back.

When the time came to premier the film in El Paso, Warren turned the premier into a media event. He hired a limo to carry the cast to the film. But a few minutes into the film, the audience began heckling the film, and soon broke down into hysterics. Warren and the others who worked on the film snuck out before the film was over.

Warren did manage to convince Emerson Releasing Corporation to distribute the film. As a result Manos had a short run on some drive in theaters in West Texas. Afterwards the movie was largely forgotten until it was featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Warren continued on as a fertilizer salesman for some time after making Manos. He tried pitching a sequel to Manos and another script named Wild Desert Bikers. Hal Warren passed away in 1986. His widow moved to Colorado.