Helter Skelter: An American Myth

Very interesting but the pile of idiocies and assumptions coming out the mouth of author Jeff Guinn are unbearable, they're at best fantasies at worst projections and having listened to the actual interviews with Manson even just on YouTube without prejudices what I can see that the person he's talking about isn't Charles Manson, so his interventions bring nothing useful to the show.

The series would be really interesting otherwise, nothing new, but at least more neutral than the usual documentary on the same story, even if it can get a bit repetitive sometimes. This is a case that's been talked about for years so that's not surprising and not a fault.

There is absolutely nothing new in the six part series that hasn't been rehashed ad nauseam. (I chose to give it 10 stars because the trove of TV footage, interviews, and previously unseen photos was enough to make it an intense viewing.)

Considering the glut of new information that came out in print during the 50th anniversary of the murders, I was disappointed that the series didn't probe some of the much more convincing theories.

We are left with the tired "Helter Skelter"-- a motive that has been laughed out of most investigative circles, and proven Bugliosi's "facts be damned" obsession with convicting Manson.

"Helter Skelter" will go into the history books as the accepted version of what happened in August of 1969. But for the small percentage of the population that refuse to take the media's word for it, it is not that simple. The more logical theories of drug burns and a very seedy Hollywood underbelly cannot compete with a real life boogeyman.

So Tex Watson, the man who did most of the damage, inflicted most of the stab wounds, and had a direct hand in seven murders will die in obscurity. And the victims will be remembered as wide eyed innocents, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary (Sebring and Frykowski were well known drug dealers. The Tate residence was Geound Zero for wild drug parties and pornographic films involving everyone from Mama Cass to Yuel Brenner). No one will know Jack Nickolson was among friends who removed damaging film reels in the living room loft while the bodies were still warm.

In the end, it's probably safer that we believe documentary series like "Helter Skelter". When we start peeling back the layers, the truth is far more terrifying than a 5' 2" failure and his group of degenerate hippies.

Great documentary that really tells the full story in one series, for a 35 y/o dude. Only problem is that Episode 1 doesn't chrnologically fit & then several scenes after (incl episode 1 scenes) are replayed several times to a "T" in 1-2 min stretches & almost makes you think you selected an episode you already watched.

I really loved the retrospective on his origins, especially the original footage from that time. many interviews with people who knew his mum and him when he was little. i cannot find much fault in this project. to me it was not in any way an attempt to justify his actions.. i loved it because it attempted to show the path he walked and painted a psychological picture that way.

& no, i would not "put the 'manson-story' to bed" .. reviewer jmihalchik-67031 mentioned some things that i find interesting & unsettling - & curbed my interest in his 5th paragraph. now we need another documentary going into that...

Pretty much anyone who was at least in their teens (or older) at the time of the Tate-LaBianca murders knows the basic facts, and knows the name Charles Manson. The murders were horrific, and the fact that some of the victims were well-known celebrities, made it front-page news across the US, and beyond. And before the crime was solved, some of the bizarre aspects of the murders had people speculating about all sorts of crazy motives. E.G. because Roman Polanski had directed the movie "Rosemary's Baby", which involves devil worship, some people made the "leap" that it must have been devil worshipers who murdered his wife and friends.

Why is this documentary different?

Firstly, it goes all the way back to Manson's early (somewhat miserable) childhood, and takes an in-depth look at his life from that point, all the way up to the point where he originally began to gather up followers, and undertake his more well-known communal lifestyle.

Secondly, it contains a considerable number of new interviews, of people who had contact with Manson and/or members of his so-called "family". And more importantly, it contains (current) interviews with a number of the women who were members of the "family" at the time of the murders. These are women who were not involved in the murders, and only became aware of them after the fact, but at the time, they were still Manson devotees, and still under his Svengali-like influence. Of course, they are all in their 50's or 60's now, and can talk about Manson with a detached perspective (and with a bit of shock at how much influence he had over them at the time, and how naïve they were, due to their age and previous dysfunctional family lives).

Lastly, it provides an in-depth look at the subsequent (absolutely crazy) trial, even including a current interview with someone who sat on the jury. It also covers the crazy things that were happening outside the courthouse, while the trial was underway.

The six-hour (six episode) documentary spends its first half just documenting the details of Manson, and the "family", before the murders occurred. It provides a more in-depth understanding of how Manson preyed upon young, disenchanted girls, and was able to sell them on his communal life style, as a means of providing them with the "family" that they had never really had before. It goes on to show how once they were under his influence, he was able to get them to do just about anything, and convince them that it was the right thing to do, be it participate in orgies, or murder innocent victims, in his attempts to foster a race-war. And it closes out by covering the arrest of the murderers, their (many months long) trial, and the aftermath.

Bottom line, the documentary manages to cover a lot of territory in its six hours, and does so with a large number of more recent "first person" accounts, instead of simply stitching together content from old headlines, or years-old books. If you are at all curious about this "dark" event in our history, and how it came about, then I think that you will find that this documentary will "hold your attention". Just be forewarned that it does contain some graphic content, and as such, it might also continue to play on your mind, long after the documentary is over.