The Helter Skelter Murders (1970)

Director:

Frank Howard

Writers:

J.J. Wilke Jr. (screenplay)
Duke Howze (additional dialogue)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

A mixture of documentary footage and re-enactment scenes, some filmed on the action locations, of the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders committed by the gang known as the Manson Family. |

Plot Keywords:

Manson | Murder | Charles Manson | Murderer | Serial Killer

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Brian Klinknett	...	Killer
Erica Bigelow	...	Killer / Defendant
Paula Shannon	...	Killer / Defendant
Linda Van Compernolle	...	Killer / Defendant
Debbie Duff	...	Victim / The Starlet
Phyllis Estes	...	Victim
Gary Donovan	...	Victim
Richard Kaplan	...	Victim
Ray Pitts	...	Victim
Leah Pringle	...	The Smug Witness / Rock Concert
Frank Burgess	...	The Male Witness
Dottie Lane	...	The Actress Witness / Royalty
John Amaral	...	The Fourth Witness
Jeanne Switzer	...	Defendant
John David	...	Defendant

Also Known As:

The Other Side of Madness (USA) (alternative title)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | UK:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Spahn Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Quotes:

Group: [chanting together] Kill every white mother, every white pig.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Manson Family (2003)

Soundtrack:

Mechanical Man

Strangely directed, but not totally bad

Not to be confused with the much superior TV movie Helter Skelter made in 1976, The Helter Skelter Murders is an unusual film to say the least. With some footage shot at Spahn Ranch (where the Manson Family lived before their arrest) and Charles Manson himself singing his song "Mechanical Man" on the soundtrack, the movie has a bit of an authentic, albeit bizarre, feel to it. The first half of the film is a weird, disjointed mix of scenes, ranging from rock concert to urban riot, set against the backdrop of the court trial; this part of the movie is not particularly entertaining and is hard to follow at times. Later scenes, such as the one with an actress portraying Sharon Tate on a movie set, are better. The scene recreating the murders in August 1969 is brutal and difficult to watch but from a directorial standpoint is well done; the sequence of events also matches the factual accounts given about the crime, which makes it an even more powerful and disturbing.

Helter Skelter Murders is far from a classic; it is a strangely directed film that could have been made better. As it deals with a tragic event and an evil group of people, it is also not easy to watch at times. But anyone who has seen the later TV movie Helter Skelter should watch this movie, as you will see the differences in style and technique and also a different telling of the same event from 1969.