Helter Skelter (2004)

A new take on the Manson Family murders, with a keen focus on Charles Manson himself.

Director:

John Gray

Writers:

Vincent Bugliosi (book), Curt Gentry (book)

Stars:

Jeremy Davies, Clea DuVall, Allison Smith

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Davies	...	Charles Manson
Clea DuVall	...	Linda Kasabian
Allison Smith	...	Patricia 'Katie' Krenwinkel
Eric Dane	...	Charles "Tex" Watson
Mary Lynn Rajskub	...	Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme
Michael Weston	...	Bobby Beausoleil
Hal Ozsan	...	Joey Dimarco
Rick Gomez	...	Milio
Robert Joy	...	Detective Morrisy
Graham Beckel	...	Jerry
Chris Ellis	...	Sgt. Whiteley
Isabella Hofmann	...	Rosemary LaBianca
Robert Costanzo	...	Leno LaBianca
Yvonne Delarosa	...	Catherine 'Gypsy' Share (as Yvonne De La Rosa)
Cheselka Leigh	...	Kathryn 'Kitty' Lutesinger

Storyline

A new take on the Manson Family murders, with a keen focus on Charles Manson himself.

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Plot Keywords:

scene of the crime | murder of a pregnant woman | serial murder | murder | charles manson character | 

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Taglines:

How did one man turn all-American teens into cold-blooded killers?

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

CBS

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Helter Skelter

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Center Studios - 450 S. Bixel Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lakeside Productions, Wolper Organization, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 137 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2001, Jeremy Davies was in preparations for a different independent film about Charles Manson. He made a tape for the filmmakers of himself playing Manson and the tape became a popular bootleg in the industry. CBS cast Davies and allowed him to rewrite his lines due to his performance in the tape.

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Goofs

When Susan/Sadie is dumpster diving for French fries, the straps on her dress change position repeatedly between shots (tied/untied, on the shoulder/off the shoulder).

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Quotes

Voytek Frykowski: What time is it?
Charles "Tex" Watson: Be quiet. Don't move or you're dead.

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Connections

Version of Helter Skelter (1976)

User Reviews

Almost bad enough to be a classic

I sure enjoyed this campy, terrible new version of Bugliosi's flawed, fascinating version of the Manson murders. I suppose the production's tragic flaw is that Warner Bros. was determined to exploit Jeremy Davies' uncanny Charles Manson impersonation, but unwilling to devote much time to it. It's difficult to say who could respect this version of the horrifying events which brought an end to hippiedom. Squeezed unhappily into a little over two hours, those familiar with the case will sneer at the ruthless editing and condensation of the facts and events surrounding the murders. Incredibly, the film comes to an abrupt halt before the trial, hastily summed up in text just before the final credits, even begins! Those only passingly familiar, or unfamiliar, with Manson will simply be left out in the cold by the completely incoherent, fragmented narrative. Luckily, it's loaded with camp value, and there are occasional glimmers of how great this version could have been if they had only pumped up the silliness a few more notches. On the DVD, for instance, there is an outtake of a scene where Susan Atkins breaks into a torrid go-go dance in prison, and you wish she would burst into song, too, so that the whole production would go where it obviously wants to go. Another laughable aspect is the consistent undermining of the various actresses' performances by their ludicrous wigs. Unfortunately, this production doesn't live up to the inherent promise of the source material, either as true crime, or as bad-taste comedy, so I can't give it four stars. Nevertheless, it's wrong-headed enough to be fun, even if all I could think while watching it was how much better it could have been if John Waters had directed it.