Harold P. Warren (October 23, 1923 – December 26, 1985), better known as Hal Warren, was an insurance and fertilizer salesman who lived in the El Paso, Texas area. He is best remembered for writing, directing and producing the 1966 movie Manos: The Hands of Fate. The film is noted as one of the worst films of all time.
Although Warren is often referred to as a fertilizer salesman, he was in fact manager of the American Founder's Life Insurance Co. in El Paso at the time he made Manos: The Hands of Fate.
Warren made the film 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. 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, as well as fill crew positions. He did not pay anyone, instead promising people a percentage of the
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