phoenixashes33 I'm a horror fan. I have a pretty high tolerance for gore, violence, and disturbing material. I have seen practically every movie made on the subject of Charles Manson. That being said, I was completely disgusted by this revolting, over the top, horrific "film" that really should be classified under snuff p*rn. The violence, nudity, and gore is continuously shoved down your throat in an attempt to shock and repulse you. In my opinion this is the product of a talentless director that is so obviously leaning on the shock value in order to compensate for his lack of artistic point of view. This crappola is such an insulting and degrading exploit of the people who were involved and who died. I barely finished watching it and promptly broke it in half and threw it away (wouldnt even look at the second disc). If you like to watch this kind of crap and on a human level NOT be disgusted and disturbed that, not only are we capable of horrendous acts like this, but some one wants to film it and make money off of it in the name of "entertainment", there's something seriously wrong with you. I guess thats who this sh*t is geared toward.

As_Cold_As_Ice Well, this was a great and very entertaining re-inactment of the saga of Charles Manson and his Family.The loose plot is of a television station running interviews of Family members on the 25th anniversary of the murders, but what is mainly shown is the interviews themselves, interspersed with fake footage of the family at work, taking drugs, having sex, or killing.The acting in this was unbelievable, in a good way. I didn't know what the Family members looked like in real life, and I truly thought that they were their characters. Props out to the guy that played Tex, he was one crazy dude.The blood definitely flows thickly in the latter half of the movie, with the murders being extremely gruesome and messy, as well as accurate to what occurred in real life. And there are quite a few scenes of sex, nudity and drug use littered throughout, which of course makes for interesting watching.For a low-budget movie, the cinematography was incredible, with it's interviews feeling real, and the grimy and raw nature of the re-enactments. The most impressive scene is the Christian orgy scene, which is a mindblowingly hallucinogenic look into the pure energy of what is happening.Overall, I recommend this totally, especially if you like bloody serial killer movies.8/10

Alain English I feel like a somewhat cossetted movie reviewer in that I have never, at least up until this point, seen or reviewed what I would call a "video nasty", that is a film or DVD with frequent and/or unnecessarily detailed acts of violence. "The Manson Family" fits this description like a glove. Indeed the acts of sex AND violence in this movie bring it into the realms of pornography sometimes but this is both it's power as well as it's weakness.Oddly, the film evokes the power and influence of Charles Manson, not only over his followers of the time but also present-day fans who worship and sometimes mimic his appalling actions, but features very little input from Manson himself and thus little actual insight into HOW he managed to persuade these people to do what they did. He is seen largely as a fellow participant, as caught up in events as the members of his 'family'.We are given plenty to look at, the killings themselves are realistically depicted, as well as the buildup to them as Manson's family and his hippie dream begin in a commune-like heaven of constant sex. But when Manson, an aspiring musician, gets his record deal rejected the whole party quite literally goes to hell. It's very grisly, yet the bravery of such a depiction is undeniably compelling.The story is told in flashbacks from members of Manson's family who are now older - some of them have redeemed themselves, others are still in his thrall. When the film cuts to them, much of what else we see is given some kind of context and sense. Yet, in an interesting twist, even these on screen narrators are shown by the movie to lie, if not wholly at least in part, about their role in events. I was looking forward to seeing Manson tried and convicted in a confrontation with him and his killers facing the wrath of civilised society as represented by the law. This contrast, as shown in prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi's book "Helter Skelter", would have been wonderful to watch.The film's heavy subject matter and unabashed sex, drugs and violence makes it highly unsuitable for younger teenagers. But it's an interesting, if sometimes unwatchable, curiosity for film fans and Manson history buffs in general.

avkm After watching this movie and being very interested in this case myself, I felt compelled to write a comment on it. This movie was absolute trash. Most of it was completely falsified when compared to the real case. The worst part of this movie is the several parts in which you can clearly hear parts of an audio recording of Jim Jones that took place during the mass suicides of The Peoples Temple in Jonestown Guyana in November 1978. It doesn't make any sense because Jim Jones and The Peoples Temple had nothing at all to do with The Manson Family. Especially considering the time difference. Members of The Manson Family were arrested for their crimes in the early 1970's and Jonestown (The Peoples Temple) Tragedy didn't happen until 1978. Not to mention, I found this to be extremely disrespectful on the writers parts. How could you use an audio recording that involves Babies, children and adults being forced to drink poison and die. That sickens me.If your reason for wanting to watch this movie is because who are genuinely interested in the case of The Manson Family and/or of the Manson Family murders, then DO NOT bother watching it. It won't educate you at all or give you any solid information. Your best bet is the 1972 Documentary called 'Manson'. It contains all real footage taken by the Manson family. There are no actors in this one. http://imdb.com/title/tt0068918 If you are specifically looking for a movie and not a documentary, Both Helter Skelter movies (1976 and 2004) are also quite accurate. http://imdb.com/title/tt0074621 http://imdb.com/title/tt0074621If you have any questions on the movie or case, just ask. avkm@mts.net