The Manson Family (2003)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Jim Van Bebber

Writer:

Jim Van Bebber (writer)

Release Date:

22 October 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

You've seen the story through the eyes of the law... Now see it through the eyes of The Manson Family

Plot Keywords:

Manson | Charles Manson | Murder | Independent Film | Based On True Story

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Marcelo Games	...	Charlie Manson
Marc Pitman	...	Tex Watson
Leslie Orr	...	Patty Krenwinkel
Maureen Allisse	...	Sadie Atkins
Amy Yates	...	Leslie van Houten
Jim Van Bebber	...	Bobby
Tom Burns	...	Clem Watkins
Michelle Briggs	...	Linda Kasabian
Sherri Rickman	...	Snake
Nate Pennington	...	Shorty
M.M. Jones	...	Ronald
Carl Day	...	Jack Wilson
Jim Sayer	...	Bob
Mark Gillespie	...	Terry
Paul Harper	...	Jerry

Also Known As:

Charlie's Family (USA) (working title)
Cult Killers (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong grisly violence, strong sexual content/nudity, language and drug use.

Runtime:

95 min | USA:84 min (R-rated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | Australia:R | Norway:18 (DVD uncut version) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Dayton, Ohio, USA

Company:

Mercury Films

Trivia:

During the field bonfire scene, actor Tom Burns was actually performing oral sex on one of the extras.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Helter Skelter Murders (1970)

Soundtrack:

Pray Again for the Locust

Horrifically trippy.

Director Jim Van Bebber finally got his low budget Manson picture released. Was it worth the wait? Sure, if you're interested in the case, that is. From what I can gather, the film is fairly accurate with its portrayal of events, actions, and even some dialogue. Van Bebber does take some liberty though, showing a few things that were only suspected in the real case. I guess that's to be expected. Anyway, the movie basically shows the story from the Manson Family's point of view, complete with faux interviews, tied together with a running subplot of a modern TV station putting together a documentary on Manson and his followers. Obviously, it is a very violent and disturbing movie, not shying away from the drug use, orgies, or murders. The shot of his three female followers with shaved heads, coming down the courtroom stairs, is a haunting one. The movie as a whole is not great, though I did find it intriguing, horrifically trippy, and ultimately tragic. It's a shame that some youths still look up to the guy, even wearing shirts with Manson's picture on it. The two DVD set includes two feature length documentaries and a short interview with Charlie Manson. Boy, is he out there.