The Manson Family (2005)

~Cast~

Marcelo Games...........Charlie

Marc Pitman...............Tex

Leslie Orr....................Patty

Maureen Allisse..........Sadie

Amy Yates...................Leslie

Jim Van Bebber...........Bobby

Directed By..................Jim Van Bebber

My Rating:

   To say that Jim Van Bebber's documentary on Charlie Manson's life is fucked up would be like saying that Dave Chapelle is black. I got this movie in the mail and when I finally put it in, I didn't know what to expect aside from it to be gory and contain info on the life of Charlie Manson. What I didn't expect was to find a film that felt like a acid trip gone wrong. To sum this movie up in a nutshell...The Manson Family is a psychedelic ride straight through hell and back through the demented and satanic eyes and mind of Charlie Manson, this is one true story that will not be soon forgotten. My biggest gripe was the fact this movie spends to much time on the early years of Manson's life and not enough on the killings. It seemed to fall apart and by the end I didn't know who the people were or who was being killed. I really wanted to hear more about the incident with Roman Polanski's wife being murdered while he was away which was the Manson's from what I have been told, if I'm wrong tell me.

   The movie plays like a documentary where the story is being told through the killer's point of view. Fake archive footage, E! True Hollywood Stories style interviews, and a narrated story is what this movie is all about. We keep cutting back to the present where a news reporter is talking about how fucked up Manson's massacre is and how the people worshipping him are sick in the head. He gets a messed up tape with no return address on it so he begins telling the story of Manson. The tape is from these whacked out kids who idolize Manson and are suppose to represent the Manson followers of today. The movie does a good job at freaking you out and making you be like "What the hell!" and at points it really aids in the movie's atmosphere but when the movie gets closer and closer to the end, when the story becomes more and more interesting, this movie takes the fast track and ends up losing itself and becoming a mess at the end.

   I actually enjoyed this movie and for once, it actually represented the psycho in the right way, as a total fucking lunatic. Most movies that are supposed to be true stories of serial killers stray away from the hardcore gore and rely on there own tales to disturb you. The Manson Family tells the tale in a disturbing in your face fashion that is uncanny, relentless and truly a sight to bare witness to. And while it loses itself near the end, the rest of it explains how he fucked with these peoples minds and then got them to kill people.

   The acting performances is not this movies strong points and while the majority of the actors had the look of their characters, but the majority of them couldn't act there parts or make me even remotely believe that they were these people. Marcelo Games played Charlie like a spaced out pot head who would flip out on occasion. He had the look but he didn't have me buying the Manson bit. Marc Pitman was the only one who I really thought knew what he was doing with his character of Tex. To be honest, I looked forward to him appearing on the screen cause it actually made the movie better. He was one of the only people who could spit out a decent line. Leslie Orr played Patty and I have to say that she was ok but when she had to become serious or show any kind of emotion...she flat out sucked. Maureen Allise as Sadie was the same as Patty...in fact, they all seemed to close to each other, I can't even tell which one was which anymore.  Same with for Amy Yates as Leslie but if she is the one I am thinking of, she did the best out of the 3. Now the director also had a role in this movie, small role but he was decent as Bobby. Bebber's directing is where the movie earned the most points for it really captured the feel of what was going through this clan's mind. At points I thought I was tripping off of some drug while watching it! Very nicely done.

   The gore in this movie was more fake then Ashlee Simpson's singing career but it was still in an abundance. We get gallons and gallons of blood, plenty of head shots, knife stabbings, and some other things I would think you have to see to actually get the full effect of. This movie was loaded with lots of nicely round titties appearing everywhere and tons of sex for all of you horn toads out there. Keep in mind, all these people did was eat, trip off acid, and fuck, need I say more?

   Ya know, this movie was good in some ways but in others it just didn't cut it at all. The DVD itself comes with a real interview with Charlie Manson and I have to say...how fucked up it is to see the man and how he thinks. He is 100%ly insane and what is the most disturbing factor in this, is that he makes PERFECT sense to himself. I sat there in awe being like what the fuck is going through his mind? Acid really fucked him up and I can't see how the hell he was able to live this long without a single cell in his head working.

   I say, Charlie Manson is arguably the most recognizable psychopath in history and when you think of serial killers, the first one that comes to mind is MANSON. This movie fills you in on how he became so infamous and why he, to this day, is still dangerous. If you ever want to learn about how he manipulated or fucked with peoples minds, check this movie out but if you are interested in finding out more on his killings, this movie may leave you going helter skeltor for it doesn't go into it enough. I wanted to learn more about that part and according to this movie, at least from what I got from it, Manson only killed one person and he has everyone else kill everyone. Make sure you have a strong stomach before watching this movie so if you do....check it out.

Special Guest Reviewers:

George Newman

"The major question that I had was, when the hell did he put that nazi symbol in his forehead? They never show that so apparently the evil inside him made it appear. Gotta love how he ended up slipping through and being able to stay alive when the death penalty was abolished. I am surprised nobody killed him yet in prison...he is a sick fuck."

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