The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter

First of all, you will watch this film with skepticism and finish up with an 'icky' feeling, but the research, information and details is astounding. This is one of those all thought-provoking films. Once you watch this film it will be all you think about for days. Anything with Manson is truly thought-provoking, but not necessarily in a good way. Serial killers do not give us a good feeling, even when we may think we understand their reason for doing what they do. Ugly is ugly, no matter how we try to justify it. But this writer/director did one heckuva job researching information about the Sharon Tate and La Bianca murders, and a lot of dots were connected through a great deal of effort on the filmmaker's behalf. My only wish was to see more on Manson's personal profile, and his 'following'. I like to see more on the psychological aspect of a killer, and a little less on the details as to the actual killing. What did catch me off guard was seeing the actual bodies of the deceased. In all the books I had previously read about Manson (and I've read nearly every one) they only show the police outlines of the bodies. This is the first time I've actually seen the bodies, include Sharon Tate's. Granted, this is sensationalism at it's best, and sadly that does little justice for the deceased as most of us that watch these films are intrigued by the killer's violence in what he did, and we all want to know what makes him tick, right? But for the macabre that enjoy 'details' about the murders and where Manson and his 'family' lived and their thought processes about the murders, this is an excellent film that fills in a lot of the holes and is much more accurate than anything I've read in the past. Though I did feel like I needed a shower after watching this film. That doesn't negate the fact that it is well made, very well researched, and I'm certain I will watch this film many times over in the future. Now, what does that say about me?

This is the best current Helter Skelter documentary. Host Scott Michaels takes you step by step through the events of that fateful night and you get to see the actual locations where these events occured. If you live in California you can find some of these places on your own, but for those of us who don't, this is the next best thing to taking the actual tour. There are little tid bits here and there that are interesting as well. In the 'extras' section we get to see the spot where there was the house that Squeaky Fromme grew up in, did you know she signed her name in the concrete? It is these little bits of info that make this a cut above the rest. We also get a trip through the house next to the Tate house, the owner believes it's haunted. The main documentary is great at showing you these places and the things that you just don't get when looking at photographs. If this case is of interest to you this is a must have. The production quality of the DVD is very good- and the presentation is both entertaining and informative. An eerie scene is the host walking up Cielo Drive near midnight on the anniversary of the murders toward the gate at the former Tate residence. This is the stuff you don't see on A&E! ***UPDATE 12/2009*** - The review written above is for the original release (now out of print) of this documentary. The version available now is released through 'Echo Bridge Entertainment' and does not include the extras mentioned above. It is still the same documentary with an added mention about the fire that ripped through Barkers Ranch - but nothing on Squeaky Fromme's house - no extras.

Few crimes have permanently entered the American psyche as the Tate/La Bianca murders that terrified Los Angeles in August 1969. On two nights, 7 people were brutally murdered by members of the Charles Manson family. Most of us know the story but Scott Michaels takes us deeper into the background with a fascinating tour of places relating to the Tate/La Bianca murder victims and the Manson family. Although this is a simple and modest production, the documentary is well-done and informative. Michaels runs the Dearly Departed Tours in Los Angeles and is well versed in the darker side of Hollywood history. He takes us to many sites that most of us have never seen before. There is a brief interview with the man who bought the Jay Sebring house from his grieving parents. The interview have been longer with more scenes of this architecturally-unusual home. Michaels takes us to homes inhabited by the victims at some point along with businesses run by the victims. The businesses have changed and some buildings are gone but history lives in the locations. One of the eery parts of the documentary is the actual recordings song by the Mansion families along with explanations of Charles Manson's connection to the Beach Boys and Doris Days music producer son Terry Melcher. Michaels has no hestitation to sneak into locations that are off-limits to the public such as the road leading to the Tate home. This dvd was incredibly inexpensive and it was well worth the cost to get some deeper insight into a crazy time. Although it is low budget, it is a well-done documentary and worth the time for anyone interested in this tragic series of events.

cheap and in perfect condition as advertised

Excellent, objective and very detailed presentation of the key locations in the infamous Manson killings and the people involved. Scott Michaels does a superb job in presenting the key events and background context to the events of August 1969, without in any way sensationalising the murders. In my view this is by far the best documentary about the Manson family and their victims I’ve viewed. The Barker ranch section is especially good.

This is for the 2009 Echo Bridge Home Entertainment DVD edition. You get two documentaries, there are no subtitles or extras other than chapter selection. Six Degrees is about the Tate/Labianca murders and is quite fascinating and often creepy. The Boneyard is an episode of a Discovery Channel series called The Prosecutors about the killers Leonard Lake/Charles Ng. The Six Degrees Of Helter Skelter - 2009, 105 mins The Boneyard - 2000, 92 mins

Not quite what I expected. More of a video tour of the various homes of the murders and places that the family stayed.