From:George DiCenzo , Steve Railsback , Nancy Wolfe , Marilyn Burns , Christina Hart , Warner Brothers , Tom Gries , Warner Home Video ,
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2 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
 So ended the 60's, 2005-06-07
I was living in LA during this time and its hard to forget the fear that hit the city. This film helps recreate the fear caused by these barbarians. If anything ended the 60's it was this senseless killing. I recommended this film highly.
3 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
 A chilling film, 2005-05-02
I remember when it happened and I remember seeing this film in 1976.
Both moments were chilling.
I was a kid in 1969 when the murders happened. The fear that gripped Los Angeles was something I'll never forget.
I read the book as a young Jr. High student and the opening words of "The story you're about to read will scare the hell out of you". I recall my aunt being not sure about letting me read the book.
When this film came out in 1976, we were living in rural part of Central California. Our house was in wooded area not unlike Benedict Canyon. My family and I watched this film together. I had to work at my part time job at our local fast food joint and got off work right before the film aired. I'll never forget driving up our long driveway after seeing the first half of this movie. I was scared out my of 16 year old wits!
This film captured that. Good or bad. I think that it vindicated thoes who died, villified thoes who killed and questioned and praised those who worked on this cause and brought the killers to justice. (Let's face it, the LAPD screwed up A LOT).
It's a chilling film with outstanding performances. It odd that Steve Railsback was not nominated for an Emmy or any of the actresses that played the Manson women, mostly Nancy Wolfe who gave a chilling performance as Susan Atkins and Marilyn Burns as Linda Kasabian who was a witness to the brutal crimes.
This film, like the book "will scare the hell out of you".
Don't bother with the 2004 film.
2 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
Charlie Manson never seemed so real, 2005-02-19
I read the book, then watched the movie and with a few exception the movie followed the book very closely. Those of us who remember when Sharon Tate was killed and finally first heard of the "Family" of Charlie Manson felt shivers in our spine. I love horror and while this isn't graphic, it certainly hits home when you realize that all that you are watching is true and the victims were real.
17 of 17 customers found the following review helpful:
A CLASSIC REVISITED., 2004-08-20
Its been more than 35 years since the Tate-LaBianca murders and the facts of those crimes may not shock people too young to remember that brief period of history or those so inured to mindless violence through the media since 1969. But to those of us who lived through those days, especially in Southern California's San Fernando Valley, the potency of the crimes and this remarkable tele-film still reverberate today.
The movie covers an amazing amount of factual ground and does justice to Vincent Bugliosi's massive, definitive account of the Manson Family and the era in which he operated. As a movie, it's a classic example of mixing documentary style dialogue with first-rate characterizations. Though Steve Railsback's frighteningly realistic performance allegedly typecast him, this actually adds to the impact of his superb performance--it was simply TOO good. George DiCenzo is appropriately business-like as Bugliosi at the start, then slowly grows more impassioned and frustrated as the travails of the justice system wind before him. All the "Manson Girl" roles are performed well, Marilyn Burns is poignant as Linda Kasabian, but special kudos should go to Nancy Wolfe as Susan Atkins. At the least, she should have gotten a supporting actress Emmy nomination, if not the award, for her stunning depiction of the robotic, demented Manson slave who was perhaps more frightening than the leader himself. Also noteworthy are Sondra Blake (yes, Robert's ex)as the brave Ronnie Howard and young Jon Gries as the caretaker initially suspected of the Cielo drive murders. All in all, this film stands the test of time and is even more impressive next to the sickly "reimagined" version that played on early 2004 television. Some classics don't need remaking. Just revisiting. "Helter Skelter" stands in this pantheon.
8 of 8 customers found the following review helpful:
Unforgettable presentation of pure evil, 2004-07-10
This is one of the videos I've been waiting for to come out on DVD for a long time.I watched this lengthy film in one-sitting one summer when I was living alone. I remember turning the light on at one point when the plot began to take a sinister turn. I was grateful for that light when the movie ended and it was dark outside. I seem to remember sitting quietly after the credits were over, and I contemplated what I had just seen. If you read my review of the Bugliosi/Gentry book, you'll see how powerfully the story itself affected me. Well, this presentation captures both the essence and the emotion of the narrative. It is both chilling and compelling. The acting, driven along by the astonishing Railsback, is among the best I've seen in a true-crime drama. I'm so glad the filmmakers didn't cut as many corners as they could have. They retain the essential story line and characters to assure that those who have seen the film know almost as much as those who have read the book. Frankly a litany of all the ways the police proved themselves to be incompetent was a tedium I would gladly forego. Both well-crafted and powerfully presented, this is a keeper, worth watching and re-watching.
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Amazon Sales Rank:#6061