Helter Skelter

My favourite part of this movie was when one of Charlie's former henchmen was being interviewed by Bugliosi. The young man candidly and reasonably answered every question put to him, and gave some startling insights into Manson's psyche, explaining Charlie's obsession with the Beatles and how it all related to the imminent race war. At the end of the interview, when the prosecutor asks him how such a reasonable and clear-headed young man could fall in with such a crowd, he turns and says, just as calmly and candidly, "Because Charlie is Jesus Christ."

Despite some truly over-the-top performances of Manson and his hollow-eyed harem of evil, this is a fascinating look at one of the more sensational crimes of the last century. Anyone interested in the case or in true crime in general should see this picture at least once.

Despite a hokey opening prologue by a narrator who talks directly to viewers, this three hour made-for-TV docu-drama provides a generally good overview of the real-life Tate/LaBianca murders that occurred in the summer of 1969, and the subsequent trial of Charles Manson and his "family". Based on the book "Helter Skelter" by Manson Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, the film has a dragnet or prosecution tone to it, as it describes events from Bugliosi's point of view. That is okay, except that the script minimizes the crucial role of Tex Watson, one of the actual killers. After the murders, Watson fled to Texas, and was initially beyond Bugliosi's prosecution reach. Later, Watson was extradited back to California.

The film's first half is confusing because it presents so many Manson family names; this part of the film is somewhat hard to follow. The film's second half concentrates on the courtroom trial and is therefore more straightforward. The film's pace tends to be slow. There are several long speeches. And some scenes are either unnecessary or overly long. One scene in the second half goes on for some ten minutes. Overall, the film has a made-for-TV look and feel. Production design, costumes, and makeup are credible. As Manson, Steve Railsback's performance is ... intense.

What makes this film worth watching is that it is a true story ... and a powerful one. Manson had no qualms about killing innocent people. And he sought to sublease that evil to weaker personalities, like Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, Leslie Van Houten, and other members of his hippie clan. And that power over others in turn fed his megalomania.

Manson was a cultural scavenger, a junk man without conscience. He and his "family" subsisted on food from dumpsters behind supermarkets. And at one point in the film, he even says he wouldn't mind prison chow; "it's better than (eating) garbage". What a statement. It says a lot about him and about his followers.

I found this to be one of the more interesting made-for-TV films I'ever watched, thanks to the sensationalism of the true-life story and the mesmerizing performances of the lead villain (Steve Railsback) and his followers. Railsback's eyes alone are frighteningly haunting to this viewer, 30 years after first seeing it. By the way, my VHS tape has one f-word in the film, which would never be allowed on TV. What gives with that?

Actually, the most frightening people, as a whole, were the women who did Manson's killing for him. I was creeped out more by Nancy Wolfe's chilling performance of Susan Atkins than I did was by anyone else, including the famous "Charlie."

The film has turned out to be a pretty good piece of American history, the kind of crime history we'd like to forget.

'Helter Skelter' hasn't dated half as much as you'd expect, and remains a fascinating document. The movie (made for TV) looks at the Manson Family and the Tate/LaBianca murders mainly as a crime story, not as a sociological one. It is mainly a courtroom drama and within those limitations it is a successful one, but it's too bad that it didn't have a larger budget and more ambition.

Steve Railsback is an impressive find as Manson. He gives a chilling and accurate portrayal. Unfortunately Railsback never became the star he threatened to be, and has had a checkered career ranging the sublime ('The Stunt Man') to the ridiculous ('Barb Wire'). He has always been a talent no matter how dubious the material he has had to work with. ('Turkey Shoot' anyone?!) The rest of the cast are adequate and are largely unknowns, though horror fans will get a buzz out of Linda Kasabian being played by Marilyn Burns of Tobe Hooper's 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and 'Eaten Alive'.

Overall an interesting look at a turbulent era. Watching 'Helter Skelter' one can't help but wonder what someone like Michael Mann (or Oliver Stone!) could do with this material, a $100 million, and an all star cast. Maybe one day...

I saw Helter Skelter as a kid and was terrified yet intrigued. The actors that portrayed Charles Manson and the Manson family did a terrific job of portraying it right. I was horrified at how one man could manipulate people to do murders for him and horrific murders at that, but also was intrigued at how intelligent Charles Manson really was as a person, but a pyschopathic, cold hearted murder too. The 1976 TV series was by far the best portrayal I have seen of this heinous crime.And I was glad justice was served on Charles Manson and the Manson family. The book was also a very good read and the movie a good purchase to have.