Helter Skelter

Murder is one of the most destructive acts that one human being can do to another, and the murders that took place in the Hollywood Hills in the late 60s were particularly brutal. When the story of Charles Manson and his Family hit the news it was covered extensively by newspapers and television, but by the time the trial started the whole nation was watching. This made-for-TV movie is based on the book by Vincent Bugliosi who was the prosecuting attorney for the State of California, and deals with all of the aspects of the crime and the investigation that went into the capture of the killers and the trial.
After the most grisly murders in California history are discovered all evidence points to a cult leader Charles Manson and his followers, but once the trial starts things just get weirder. Considering that this a made for TV movie its amazing how detailed the story and graphic the scenes are, even today you wouldn't half of what they show you in this film. Even though the story is three hours long it doesn't feel like it, the story keeps moving at a pace that is fast enough for the audience not to notice the time. All of the performances here are very well done from the individual followers to the attorneys but Steve Railsback as Charles Manson is stupendous. He captures the essence of Manson demented personality and physical mannerisms, so much so that you get the feeling that it really is him on the screen.
Where this film is so long it's a rare occurrence that its shown from beginning to end in one shot, but with the DVD your able to see the progress of the characters, and story, without interruption. Seeing the complete story of the Tate/La Bianca murders and all of the intricate evidence that was gathered is at times disconcerting. But what's worse is the knowledge that Manson was able to convince these young people that he was Jesus and what they were doing were things that God wanted them to do. Even after all this time the story, and film, haven't gotten old, with all of the movies being made about serial killers and mass murderers this would seem like just another drop in the bucket, but truthfully after all this time its hard to hold a candle to Manson and his Family.