Manos Returns Kickstarter January 30

I’ve talked a little about the sequel to Manos and now it’s time to really start talking.  We are ready to get to work with a talented team of creative entrepreneurs and indie filmmakers and get this movie made.

 Jackey Neyman Jones (producer, lead actor) -  My dad was The Master and I was little Debbie in "Manos: The Hands of Fate.”  I live in the Great Northwest as a professional artist, art instructor and author of "Growing Up With Manos: The Hands of Fate" which is to be released soon.  I have been a special guest at numerous events like The El Paso Classic Film Festival, Hollywood Independent Film Festival, and Seattle’s Crypticon and have appeared in several film and theatrical projects including “Manos The Rise of Torgo”, “The Curse of Pelican Bay”(post production) and “She Run” (in production)

Tonjia Atomic (director) - Tonjia is an award-winning filmmaker, actress, musician, jeweler, and freelance writer. Her films range from the dark and disturbing to the light and comedic. She is best known for the films "Plain Devil," "Hobo with a Trash Can," and "Walking to Linas." Her writing has been featured in several online and print magazines. She's in the bands Duet To-It, Huh-Uh, and Filthy Issue. Her music has been featured in several films including "Bikini Gorilla" and "Scarewaves."

Steve Foley (writer/editor) - Steve, owner of Foley Video Productions, Inc. based in Tallahassee, FL, spent 17 years in broadcast television production before starting his own company in 1995. His recent film-related projects include post and effects on several short films and he is currently putting the finishing touches on a low budget horror anthology feature. In addition, Steve is working with the stars of cult film "Alien Factor" to produce DVD extras for the upcoming Blu-ray release.

Joe Sherlock (Director of Photography) - Joe is an award-winning filmmaker and a veteran of over 30 feature and anthology films. Joe’s extensive body of work includes "Drifter," "Bloodsucking Redneck Vampires" and "Twisted Fates," which have been screened across North America. His work as director of photography includes "Dead Ink," "The Evilmaker" and "Platoon of the Dead." Cult movie expert Joe Bob Briggs comments, "Drive-In Academy Award nominations for Joe Sherlock, the writer/director/composer/editor, for doing things the drive-in way."

Rachel Jackson is our behind the scenes everything from crafting the Kickstarter to marketing and sage advice.  She and her Manos puppets will be making an appearance in the film as well.

MANOS Returns is a tongue-in-cheek return to Valley Lodge. It follows a group of young would-be filmmakers who learn their favorite movie, “MANOS: The Hands of Fate,” is based on a true story. They set out to visit the site of the events that inspired the original and of course they find more than they bargained for.

Thanks to Mystery Science Theater 3000, MANOS has become a pop culture phenomenon, gaining more and more fans as time goes on. We think it’s high time we found out what became of everyone at Valley Lodge, so we want to film MANOS Returns this summer, release it on DVD and have it ready to screen in time for MANOS’s 50th anniversary on November 15^th.

There have been a number of Manos inspired projects through the years.  Some fizzled out, a few other completed the goal, and others are still in progress.   Several have been very successful.   Ones such as Manos Hands of Felt by Rachel Jackson, the HD Blu-ray of the Manos Restoration by Ben Solovey, distributed by Synapse and the Manos game by FreakZone Games for iPhone.   Manos Hands of Felt and the Restoration both launched Kickstarter campaigns to fund their projects and both far exceeded expectations.  Such is the love of Manos.  And let’s not forget the ones who made Manos known to the world to begin with.  Mystery Science Theater 3000, headed by Joel Hodgson (did I mention he wrote the foreword to my soon to be published Manos book?).   The November Kickstarter campaign to bring back MST3k quickly set records when the MST3K campaign became one of the top 10 most funded Kickstarter campaigns ever, closing near 6 million dollars . 

 So….  We’re not asking for nearly that much.  We don’t need that much.  Seriously.

In addition to the people already willing to help us with their time and resources, we know we can make a bare bones version of MANOS Returns for $24,000 (20,000 after the Kickstarter fees and reward fulfillment).  For $55,000, we can make the dream movie we envisioned when we started talking about this project. 

We’ve committed to this project and thanks to fan support we’ve already filmed The Master, my dad Tom Neyman in his part.   And we’ve got everything lined up to get Nicki Mathis, the vocalist on the original soundtrack, into the studio to re-record “Forgetting You” for our soundtrack as soon as the Kickstarter has ended.

The Kickstarter goes live January 30th. That’s the day that Mystery Science Theatre 3000 first brought MANOS back from oblivion in 1993, so we thought it was the perfect day to launch MANOS Returns. As soon as we launch, www.MANOSReturns.com will take you directly to our Kickstarter page. Please consider backing us on that first day; the faster we gain backers out of the gate, the more successful we’ll be.

If you can’t spare any money right now, but still want to help us get back to Valley Lodge, spreading the word about this campaign is a huge way you can show your support. Please share our Kickstarter far and wide. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Use the hashtag #MANOSReturns to bring the word of MANOS to all!

And thank you, as always, for your awesome support.

Manos Looks Ahead

Another very long gap between posts.   I sometimes think I’m done writing this blog but then realize there are always things to talk about when it comes to Manos.  Especially these days.  In the last year alone, the Restoration of Manos in Hd Blu-ray, distributed by Synapes was released to the public through Amazon and hit the top thirty best seller list in pre orders the week before it was available.   At the same time, the October 2015 issue of Playboy Magazine featured an article titled The Battle Over The Worst Movie Ever Made.  I had interviewed for it and my name begins the article.  The fun part for me was to be able to say that I was in Playboy.   Marking that off my bucket list at 56 years old.  My boyfriend loved using that as bragging rights.  My twenty one year old son?  Not so much.  Ha!                                                          Playboy Article

I was invited to Crypticon in Seattle last September to attend a screening of a short documentary “Conversations with Jackey Neyman”.  It was a last minute thing so I wasn’t a Special Guest and didn’t have a table or anything.  Little secret?   It was my first Con ever. I have never been to one.   I had the best time walking around anonymously with my Manos t shirt on and talking to people who recognized and commented on it.  Seems I got enough attention that I am invited back for Crypticon 2016 as a Special Guest.  Woo Hoo!  See you there!

I wrote a book.  Not only that, but I finished it and it is now in the hands (manos) of my publisher, Bear Manor Media. This project could not have possibly happened without my fabulous co-author Laura Mazzuca Toops with her editing skills and gentle prodding.  I just can’t imagine.  Started with a couple years thinking about writing it, then a couple more talking about it and then another length of time to find someone to guide me.  Took sixteen months to research and write, with a ton of sitting around staring into space with a stupid look on my face.  No one was around, so I’m just assuming that’s how it would have looked.  During all that time, I couldn’t seem to write anything else.  Grocery lists were a chore.  I also didn’t pick up another book to read.  So weird.  I love to read.  Now that I’m done writing (for a while, at least) I’m reading two.  Initially, I was going to write a story about my memories and those of my dad, The Master.  One thing led to another and I began uncovering things I had not known and people who I thought had disappeared forever or who were unknown in the first place.  I learned that I’m pretty good at research and that I enjoy it.  Maybe shoulda been a private eye.   This journey  resulted in recovered stories, new friendships begun, old ones renewed and much family healing. 

 I’ll let you all know the release date as soon as I hear anything.  Expecting it to be within the next few months and then some traveling to promote and meet the fans of Manos.  Check out the awesome cover art by Phil Dragash.  Also take a moment to notice the foreword is written by Joel Hodgson, the creator of MST3K!

So now time to focus on the next big Manos project, Manos Returns.  A sequel to Manos The Hands of Fate that I'm producing and my dad, The Master is appearing in.  Watch for our crowdfunding campaign coming soon.  Follow me here for notifications and updates and check out                                                                                               Manos Returns