The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter

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.

You might expect SIX DEGREES OF HELTER SKELTER to be another bland rehash of the facts, dates, and events of the Manson Family murders. Instead, it's a fresh, insightful documentary full of interesting history, as well as some fascinatingly bizarre, coincidental details and odd minutia.

If you're intrigued by The Family and their exploits, then you'll want to add this to your information stockpile...

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.

Released in 2009 and directed by Michael Dorsey, "Six Degrees of Helter Skelter" is a micro-budget documentary that examines the Manson family and the infamous Tate/LeBianca murders that shocked the world in August, 1969, bringing to end the idealism of the hippie movement. Host Scott Michaels visits more than 40 locations in Southern California as he goes into detail about the victims, their murderers and Manson's ties to the Hollywood elite.

Charles Manson was a decent singer/songwriter and the documentary includes (a snippet of) one of his songs, "Cease to Exist," performed by the Manson family. Although he wasn't anything phenomenal, Manson had a real shot at making it, but his narcissism, paranoia, and general malice toward everything destroyed it. He ruined everything he touched, everyTHING and everyONE. He wreaked havoc on dozens, no hundreds, of lives, probably thousands. And his psychopathic acts were the death knell of the good side of the counter-culture movement. Technically, a psychopath is not actually insane. These types simply have no conscience. Hurting & killing people, doing horrible things and wreaking havoc on society doesn't bother them in the least.

Costing only $200,000, this documentary is not a polished production. It's only a couple steps above a typical Youtube video and mostly consists of Michaels visiting the many locations and elaborating details in a freeform manner. He often throws in interesting side bits here and there. Some people criticize that he tends to ramble and sometimes stumbles over his words, but I understood everything he was saying perfectly and appreciated his casual, non-rehearsed, fact-oriented delivery. Micro-budget or not, the film is very informative and takes you to the actual locations of the infamous crimes, combined with a lot of stock footage of the people and events. For a documentary, it fulfills its purpose.

The film runs 103 minutes.

GRADE: B-

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.