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.

This is a very engaging, well-researched documentary that details a great many additions to the Tate/LaBianca murders that were never made public. Mr. Dorsey is a likable, enthusiastic host throughout the film, who clearly has an obsession with Hollywood trivia. Despite his legal troubles, I've always considered Roman Polanski to be one of the world's best and original directors, and the film gave me a little more depth into his life and what he must have gone through during this horrific period. The doc appears to be shot on video, and I'd never heard of it until now; am curious if Mr. Dorsey managed to make a profit off of it, as it looks as though he put a great deal of work into its production. It's chilling at times and a little on the black/ghoulish side, but a bit like driving by a car wreck... you want to, but you can't look away. Manson and his followers were clearly very sick individuals who created a great deal of destruction besides just the Tate/LaBianca killings; this is an excellent documentary that explains that in a lot more detail.

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 was very excited to see this film. The story of Charles Manson is very interesting to me. I had a very hard time making it past the first few minutes of this film. The narrator delivers the information so hastily, and with out any discernible order. He just babbles on incessantly. I will give him credit, he is passionate about the story he is telling, but is overly excited and somewhat unable to be followed. There's a wealth of information here, but its piled upon its self in such a way that it is nearly impossible to sort it. Parts are better then others, but i was very disappointed in the film. I feel that if someone who had better public speaking skills, and better delivery, this could have been a very good informational film. The narration jumps around, and is full of information that does not relate to the story line being discussed at that point.