The Manson Family, 2003.
Written and Directed by Jim Van Bebber.
Starring Marcelo Games, Marc Pitman, Leslie Orr, Maureen Allisse, Amy Yates, Jim Van Bebber, Tom Burns and Michelle Briggs.
SYNOPSIS:
On a ranch outside of Los Angeles, the dream of the “Love Generation”is transforming into something evil. What was once an oasis of free love and acid trips has become ground zero for a madman’s paranoid visions. An average group of kids, the “family”, become engulfed in a delusional world where torment and slaughter are considered the path to righteousness.
The Manson Family is sold to you as one film, but in reality it is an odd group of films wrapped up into one. You have the extremely graphic (sexually and violently) reconstructions of the Manson Family which are being retold by the now older Manson followers in a 1980s style “tell all” crime TV pseudo-documentary, and woven between these two styles is the story of a violent 21st century gang of drug abusing youths seeking vengeance against those that besmirch the legacy of Manson.
Usually after watching a film, I can say “Yes” or “No” to whether I liked it, and I can explain the reasons for my choice. However, after watching The Manson Family I went to bed and my wife asked if I liked it and I couldn’t give her a straight answer.
20 years back, when I was 18 years old, this type of film would have probably been extremely cool, but now as a (bit more) mature adult, it appears more interesting than cool. I liked the grainy documentary style mixed with the (occasionally poorly acted) reconstructions and these for me were the better parts of the film. However, the modern violent gang who are the flotsam and jetsam left from the Manson idealism who hold his name in a Messiah status and who go about murdering those who choose to use his name and image in vain, this bit I could have done without. It wasn’t interesting and appeared to be tacked in to speak to the youth and their current lifestyles, making the film that bit more hip and happening for the kids bored by the hippy talk at the beginning.
The scenes of extreme violence are mostly presented in a schlock fashion so in parts they come across as a laughable, but some scenes are very disturbing, such as the repeated stabbing of a dead woman, and the man who has his head smashed open with repeated pistol whipping who is seen minutes later crawling across the garden squealing like a pig. The rape of the farm hand is made worse by the cut scenes of the documentary spliced in between this horrific act, ranging from denial to excitement.
While my write up so far is possibly not selling this film, it is interesting to watch the evolution of the Manson Family from the unwashed hippy commune interested more in sex and drugs to the paranoid, violent, anti-societal zealots they became. Yes I know this is a film and writer-director Jim Van Bebber may possibly have invoked the “poetic license” card a fair bit, but a lot of these tales are rooted in fact. A word of praise also needs to go to Phil Anselmo for his choice of score for the soundtrack. When I initially read that the ex-Pantera singer put it together, I expected something far more “metal”. Instead, Ansemlo serves up an amazingly twisted collection of songs and music that follows the movement of the film surprisingly well.
To bring this review to a close I’m ending confused like I started. The Manson Family is interesting, but it isn’t great. I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it. If you want to learn about the Manson Family I’m sure there are many more factual documentaries out there you could find, but this film is okay to start you off. It’s an h’orderve for the Manson Family, but an h’orderve that will possibly repeat on you for a few days afterwards.
Flickering Myth Rating: Film ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★
Villordsutch is married with kids and pets. He looks like a tubby Viking and enjoys science fiction. Follow him on Twitter.
Originally published June 10, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
