The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter

This is a documentary about the Charles Manson murders, but also about the hobbies of the man who is obsessed with celebrity deaths. The Manson family is covered, as are many, many others topics that may be of interest to Manson scholars.

opens with a disclaimer saying that there are so many different theories that some people will find something about this film they disagree with. As I entered into the film looking for flaws, that struck me a bit personally. Though, it did not stop me from looking for flaws.

The film is different from other documentaries -- it actually spends little time on Manson at all, focusing more on the victims and the various houses they lived in and places they worked. There is some interesting background on Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski. Many other tangential connections... but if you have read as much Manson material as I have, this is actually quite a treat.

If you haven't heard Manson's music, you should. "Cease to Exist" is featured in this film, which went on to be a Beach Boys tune. No aspect of the crimes or lives of those involved goes uncovered. Even Jack Nicholson and the movie "Grease" somehow get tied in.

I absolutely, positively recommend this film to anyone who has an interest in Charles Manson. I think I know a lot more than the average person about the crimes, but this documentary still keyed me in to things I could never have discovered otherwise.

The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter is a slightly non-linear documentary of the Helter Skelter scenario of August 1969, executed by the one and only Manson Family. It documents the lives of the victims, what the Manson Family were up to during this period of time and other odd tidbits of information.

I was always fascinated by the Manson murders, and have watched a good number of documentaries on the subject, but this one in particular sparked my interest, as I think it would any Manson fan, due to the unique presentation of the film.

I rate this 8 stars out of 10 due to the wealth of odd information I had not previously known but had acquired after watching this film (and I have read Helter Skelter). But if you know nothing on the subject and have barely even heard of Charles Manson or the Tate/LaBianca murders, then you may find this to be just a little bit confusing only because they focus a great deal on little bits of odd info (ex. interviewing a man who now resides at Jay Sebring's house, or how the rumor of Sharon Tate living right across Mama Cass' house turned out to be a false one).

I don't know, if you're a Manson fan, watch it. If you like true crime, watch it. If you like history, watch it. If you're 5 years old...then I guess you shouldn't watch it.

If you're expecting a movie, I wouldn't say you found the right film. This is more of a documentary. I liked this a lot because I learned some stuff that I didn't know. Of course, I'd like to verify the things I've learned just in case they're not 100% spot on. But it is entertaining and educational nonetheless. The Manson Murders have fascinated me ever since I started to learn, and the book shown inside the film, titled 'Helter Skelter', is a book I am looking forward to purchasing. I give this film a 7 because I learned from it and absorbed information from it, but I couldn't give it a 9 or a 10 because at times it felt a little too slow pace. But that's just me. I would have liked to see more Charles Manson, but others, like yourselves, might not want to. If not, this is your film. Again, pretty good film. Not the best, not the worst. Good.Educational.

I have read Vincent Bugliosi's book,"Helter Skelter," about the Sharon Tate-La Bianca murders in August 1969. The narrator and producer, Scott Michaels, certainly knows the macabre part of the story especially with it's locations. The documentary is an independent one more focused on the locations of the murders, the victims' and murderers residences. Charles Manson was the mastermind behind the crimes. There is no question about that. The narrator brings viewers to Los Angeles, California and areas of interest to the crimes. We don't' hear from anybody else mostly except Ron Hale who bought Jay Sebring's house. There are gruesome photographs of the crime scene. The film tells the story about how the Manson family went from crazed, drug hippies to cold-blooded murderers. There are connections between Manson and Hollywood music industry. Los Angeles seemed less built up back in the late sixties. Many of the homes are still there except the Tate-Polanski house on Cielo drive. This documentary showed several locations.

As someone with a slight knowledge of the actual details of the Tate/LaBianca murders, there is much to learn from this documentary. And the writer and narrator have apparently studied the events and those involved quite thoroughly. In fact they almost provide more background on the murder victims than Manson and his "family." Some of it seems non essential so you must have patience for the actual murder events to properly unfold. Also, as was said by another reviewer, the very beginning seems to be nothing more than an opportunity for the narrator to sell his tour business and himself. Throughout the rest he guides us to various locations in California in relation to Manson and the murders, during which he provides a substantial amount of anecdotal, personal commentary. Luckily for him he is amiable enough but i did find myself wishing for a more properly produced documentary for which the budget obviously would not allow. Or maybe it was intentionally written that way. Regardless, there were plenty of genuinely creepy moments on location and enough information to keep me interested.