I should have seen it coming; there it was right on the front cover: 'based on the true story of the Manson murders'. Fair warning, in other words, that the truth is only one ingredient in the anemic 'once-over-lightly' fare that is 'Helter Skelter (Director's Cut)'. The Manson story is as (no pun intended) meaty a tale as one could want, with indictments aplenty in all directions. In the no-man's land between the intolerant strictures of 'straight' society and the wilds of the willfully unguarded 'alternative' society career criminal Charles Manson gathered his clan into a black bus and set off on a trip into the night-side of the 1960s counterculture which took in psychedelic mysticism, communal living, the Bible, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Scientology, outlaw biker clubs, big-time drug dealing, intimidation, torture and multiple murders. It was like lifting up 'America' to see the scuttling bugs feasting on the decay beneath, and along with student riots, Altamont and urban guerrilla gangs the whole Manson affair pretty much annihilated the 'peace and love' 1960s. Despite featuring fair-to-good acting (especially an acceptably deranged yet seductive Manson in Jeremy Davis), this movie is a disaster. True, the movie claims to be based on prosecuting attorney Vincent Bugliosi's book, but in this case 'based on' apparently means you can just do whatever you like and sure enough, within a few minutes of beginning we've strayed into fantasy (Gary Hinman had his ear cut through, and not severed as in the movie). The Manson story has been a lifelong interest of mine, and whilst I could fill the page with the jaw-droppers and historical howlers which abound in this movie, consider just this one point which illustrates how wrong 'Helter Skelter' gets it. The entire treatment of Charles Manson's supposed lack musical ability amounts to a running gag throughout the screenplay. He is depicted as downright deluded and his formless efforts laughable. In real life Charles Manson was a remarkably talented singer-songwriter, albeit one with a slight lyrical fixation on prison and incarceration. Go to YouTube, click on 'Eyes of a Dreamer' or 'Cease to Exist' (the one the Beach Boys did) and you will hear melodically attractive compositions driven by a rhythmically strong acoustic guitar style and topped with a pleasantly blues-tinged voice favorably reminiscent of Jose Feliciano. Manson did indeed have talent, not that you'd know it from 'Helter Skelter'. They get it completely wrong there and in chopping great lumps out of the story (e.g. the Family's doomed 'alliance' with the biker gang, the weekend 'attraction' the Spahn ranch offered the young and hip L.A. set, and so very much more) to concentrate on turncoat Linda Kasabian's story, far too much expository dialogue is utilised to fill in the details. The talky and curiously gore-challenged screenplay gives 'Helter Skelter' a shallow 'TV movie' feel (which indeed it was). The real Manson story contains multitudes, and although filmed a number of times now, no-one has yet captured the disturbing, almost cosmic darkness which is its hallmark. 'Helter Skelter' just re-hashes fact and fiction alike and dumbs down what's left into a soap opera with murders. The story (still) remains untold.

There have been numerous plays and films written about the notorious Manson murders of the 1960s and 1970s and this one is a fascinating but still not quite definitive look at Manson and his 'Family'. I did find it more enjoyable than the last film I saw on this subject, 'The Manson Family'. This one shows much more restraint and is better written, with a greater emphasis on the psychology of Manson and his followers.The film shows the Hinman murder and the Tate-LaBianca killings, and the leadup to the trial where Manson and five of his minions were eventually convicted of mass murder. In the interim there is some flashback detailing some of Manson's psychology and the bizarre philosophy behind the murders.There was enough good dialogue to make it watchable and the complex events the film portrays are covered very well. However, the film does not do all it could in this respect. First off, I am against actual re-enactments of the murders. It feels sensationalised, grotesque and unnecessary to do this, especially as since these murders actually happened and are not fictional.Secondly, I am unhappy with Jeremy Davies' portrayal of Manson as a one-note lunatic. Despite some good writing, his portrayal does not make Manson's domination of his followers seem remotely plausible and it would have been nice to see more of Manson's background, especially how he developed and gained power over his 'family'.Thirdly, the film cuts out before the actual trial takes place. Cutting out the trial is a knock to prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, who stood up to Manson (who made numerous attempts to intimidate him) and worked his backside off to nail him. To see the lawyer in action, and more of his relationship with Manson, would have been very interesting.That said, there are some great performances here. Clea Duvall makes a fetching Linda Kasabian and her journey is movingly rendered. Marguerite Moreau makes a seductively sexy Susan Atkins and, although she is playing a cold-blooded killer, is very enjoyable to watch. Bruno Kirby is slightly miscast as Vincent Bugliosi. He is ten years too old and a tad top heavy, but he does capture the tenacity and compassion of the man and when he turns up he feels like a fresh breath of sanity in the midst of all the blood and madness.A good picture but there are still some areas of the Manson cult, asides from the murders themselves, that could still be explored on screen.

Helter Skelter is a remake of a 1976 TV movie. It is based on the true story of the Tate/Labianca murders committed by "The Manson Family". I will make my opinion clear; this is a tacky, tacky movie. It does not deserve the title of trashy or cult. It is pure tacky through and through, from the insane wigs to the over the top theatrical actor who plays Manson. Jeremy Davis was a convincing Manson, but went a little too far in some places. He got the accent and the body movements down well, unlike the actor in 'The Manson Family' (who came of more like Jesus to me). I felt this was the only redeeming quality of the movie, that and the 17 minute special feature of Jeremy's rehearsal footage, walking around trying to emulate Manson The look of this movie is all over the place, one moment it looks very gritty, the next a famous face appears and trippy camera effects are used and used badly. The news segments of the movie are horribly filmed, the effect used is over the top in an attempt to make the footage look real/old, the shots are unconvincing for news footage and resemble a shot you would see on MTV's head bangers ball, with the weird angles minus the zoom function. Whenever there is a killing scene in the movie the majority of it is shot in negative, to dramatize the event, but it comes off totally conceited, and seems as though they were too lazy to come up with their own experimental ideas.The film is an hour too long, it runs for 2 hours and 10 minutes and is rather drawn out and pieced together badly. The murder scenes are a little more brutal than that of the Manson family in regards to sound effects and the dramatization of the scenes. Some people think this film is so bad its good, but it's so bad its bad. Do yourself a favor and rent/buy 'The Manson Family'. Meanwhile I am going to sit here and curse the fact that I paid $20 for this DVD.

A fascinating tale of misguided wanton youths seeking love who were turned into a group of completely deluded, thieving, murderous young adults through drugs and brainwashing. The real life story behind this movie is one of crazy intrigue and true horror. I tuned in to watch this movie version because i am a big fan of both the original mini series and of an actress in the newer movie, Clea Duvall, who plays Linda Kasabian .. one of the members of Charlie's group who went without the long punishments of the others (Susan, Tex, Charlie etc.) by turning states evidence in exchange for her immunity. This movie is basically very weak. It HAS taken the opportunity to introduce other players that the original movie does not such as Charlie Mansons strange relationship with Beach Boy Brian Wilson and even introduces "Squeaky" in the first few minutes. (Lynnette "Squeaky" Fromme eventually gains some notoriety on her own by attempting murder, of her own volition, on president Gerald Ford. However if you are not already familiar with this connection you wont even understand the importance of this introduction in this movie.) I liked that they included her in this movie, her presence if even for a moment, but they don't work it in well. And so the whole movie goes. This movie, unlike the original, i also give credit for attempting to tell the story from another angle. From that of a family member rather than through the eyes of the state. What makes this movie weak is the absolute void of horror and fear that these stories or the mention of Charles Manson brings to mind. Also, the casting and exploration of other important "family members" such as Susan Atkins (aka Sadie) who played a truly creepy and enjoyable role both in the real life media surrounding these events and in the first movie is very disappointing. Although i think the director deserves credit for trying to approach this movie from another direction and feel it was probably approached this way to give a larger perspective .. it feels TOO vague, TOO fictionalized and is TOTALLY void of the horrific fear this story should instill in anyone watching. Overall ... a MAJOR disappoint for this viewer.