The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection - The Essentials (Manos, the Hands of Fate / Santa Claus Conquers the Martians)

Directors: Trace Beaulieu, Joel Hodgson, Jim Mallon, Kevin Murphy (ii), Michael J. Nelson
Actors: Trace Beaulieu, Patrick Brantseg, Frank Conniff, Bill Corbett, Joel Hodgson
Studio: Rhino Theatrical
Category: DVD

List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $13.98
You Save: $10.97 (44%)

New (32) Used (10) from $12.98

Rating: 61 reviews
Sales Rank: 1372

Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 190 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6

MPN: 970344
UPC: 603497034420
EAN: 0603497034420
ASIN: B0002M5TOI

Theatrical Release Date: November 24, 1988
Release Date: August 31, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !

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Customer Reviews

   Read 56 more reviews...

Really not the best of MST    January 6, 2009
Amanda Davis
I paid for this one based on my love of the show but this one really isn't their best- by far. Not as many jokes as the show usually had & the jokes that are there just aren't that funny. Even the movies aren't that entertaining (cheesewise I mean). There are better episodes you can purchase out here. I'd go with just about any of them before this one. Still love the show, but in this case they really missed the mark on funny.


wow    August 14, 2008
J. Skilton (Portland, OR USA)
Have to agree with most reviewers that 'Santa Claus' is worth the price of the box. 'Manos' is indeed awful, so badly photographed, badly paced, and just plain off, it creates a black hole of badness from which little humor can escape - though the MST crew give it a credible try, and do produce some laugh-out-loud moments. The director of 'Manos' must have been a silent movie buff, as there are many scenes and settings evocative of 1920s films (and the sound is about as good). 'Santa Claus' on the other hand is campy-bad, and the boys make the most of it. Recommended.


So much fun!    July 27, 2008
J. Anderson (Lake Villa, IL)
I was a die-hard fan of this show back in the day. I ordered this to introduce my 11-year old son to the series. He is now a fan too. Sooo funny!!


The Worst! But That's Good!    June 4, 2008
Reid in Florida (Clermont, FL USA)
Two classic stinker movies made watchable by Joel, Mike, Tom, and Crow. "Manos" is truly awful with the whole movie being re-dubbed (I encourage you to read IMDB.com's Trivia section on this movie). "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" is only a few steps lower on the bad movie scale because it had a higher production value. So just sit back and watch the crew slice these movies up. The "Poopie" blooper section also has some great outtakes.


Mystery Science Theater 3000    May 22, 2008
L. Clough (Eugene, OR USA)
Just the way we remember the series when it was still in production.
Funny, witty, classic commentary by the "bots".