The Manson Family Massacre (2019)

In this unique take on the infamous Manson murders we follow two generations of chilling real life events which occur at 10050 Cielo Drive, one of America's most notorious addresses.

Director:

Andrew Jones

Writer:

Andrew Jones

Stars:

Brendee Green, Ciaron Davies, Michael David

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brendee Green	...	Margot Lavigne
Ciaron Davies	...	Charles Manson
Michael David	...	Tex Watson
Vicki Glover	...	Susan Atkins
Melissa Hollett	...	Annie
Derek Nelson	...	Bobby Beausoleil
Darren Swain	...	Bruce Davis
Cassandra Hodges	...	Annabelle
Alexei Liss	...	Detective O'Halloran
Diana Franz	...	Patricia Krenwinkel (as Diana "Deebs" Franz)
Sarah John	...	Sharon Tate
Lee Mark Jones	...	T.J.
Matt Houlihan	...	Randone
Svend Emil Jacobsen	...	Rudi Altobelli
Felicity Boylett	...	The Bride in Black

Storyline

In this unique take on the infamous Manson murders we follow two generations of chilling real life events which occur at 10050 Cielo Drive, one of America's most notorious addresses. In 1969, we witness the violent exploits of homicidal cult The Manson Family which culminate in the brutal murder of actress Sharon Tate and several of her friends at Cielo Drive. In 1992, rock singer Margot Lavigne moves into the house to record a new album. But life soon becomes a hellish nightmare as supernatural forces haunt Margot and her band mates with sheer, unbridled evil. As Margot learns more about the events of 1969, and begins to understand the true nature of The Manson Family, she realizes she must find a way to lay the ghosts of the past to rest - or become another tragic footnote in the history of The House on Cielo Drive.

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Plot Keywords:

charles manson character | 

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Genres:

Crime | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the scene involving Margot injecting heroin, a dolly zoom shot is utilized. The shot is an in-camera effect that appears to undermine normal visual perception. The effect is achieved by zooming a zoom lens to adjust the angle of view (often referred to as field of view, or FOV) while the camera dollies (moves) toward or away from the subject in such a way as to keep the subject the same size in the frame throughout. The effect was first conceived by Irmin Roberts, a Paramount second-unit cameraman, in Alfred Hitchcock's film 'Vertigo' but audiences may be most familiar with it's use in 'Jaws'. The dolly zoom is commonly used by filmmakers to represent the sensation of vertigo, a "falling-away-from-oneself feeling" or a feeling of unreality, or to suggest that a character is undergoing a realization that causes them to reassess everything they had previously believed.

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Goofs

The British production is evident in the pronunciation of the number 10050. The number is not pronounced like this in the States but as ten thousand fifty.

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Connections

References Pulp Fiction (1994)

User Reviews

The South Wales Knife Massacre

The worst kind of exploitation. Andrew Jones is rivaling Johannes Roberts for the worst British Horror film director crown and his exploitative eye and sheer proliferation means he is winning the fight.

A keen eye, Jones probably saw that Tarantino was making a Manson movie (or at least a film that featured Manson) and made his own.

A tenuous 90s story, lifted from Trent Reznor renting the famous address at Cielo Drive to record in, binds together a haphazard story about evil spirits and negative energy. Flashbacks aplenty allow for a scenery chewer to shout in a Manson beard at people equally poorly cast. Nothing of the cult, the charisma and complex entanglements of hatred nor the complexities of what need Manson filled in his followers is investigated.

It is about stabbings, and when they come they are...well, hilarious...and that is in-spite of it actually having happened to various people in real life. The acting is so low grade, the framing and composition of shot so botched that the moments of violence create nothing but snigger.

As with all horror hacks the director plunders the classics, the Texas Chainsaw camera snap and whine are stolen here and used without real thought.

As with most sub-generic smut based on true crime there is a coda that features a re-telling of the outcome of the events shown, but the pinnacle of bad taste is the 'tribute' pictures of the actual victims that ends the credit sequence - this is a tribute to no-one. Something so cynical cannot be. While I have many issues with Once Upon A Time In Hollywood at least the title belies the construction, it is a fairy tale that offers the representations of the victims a happy ending after of years of myth making and counter myth. That is doing something different with a story re-told and re-told. This holds no lofty goals rather it appears to scramble for a few dollars falling from the Tarantino tree.

Andrew Jones is to be admired in many ways, he has cultivated a career for himself that few others have but quality seems very low on his list of concerns.

One positive - it is much better than 'Bundy and the Green River Killer', truly one of the worst films ever made.

Details

Official Sites:

Production Company Website

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 August 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Massacre on Cielo Drive

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,782

Company Credits

Production Co:

North Bank Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1