That was an excellent one.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I'm a horror fan. I have a pretty high tolerance for gore, violence, and disturbing material. I have seen practically every movie made on the subject of Charles Manson. That being said, I was completely disgusted by this revolting, over the top, horrific "film" that really should be classified under snuff p*rn. The violence, nudity, and gore is continuously shoved down your throat in an attempt to shock and repulse you. In my opinion this is the product of a talentless director that is so obviously leaning on the shock value in order to compensate for his lack of artistic point of view. This crappola is such an insulting and degrading exploit of the people who were involved and who died. I barely finished watching it and promptly broke it in half and threw it away (wouldnt even look at the second disc). If you like to watch this kind of crap and on a human level NOT be disgusted and disturbed that, not only are we capable of horrendous acts like this, but some one wants to film it and make money off of it in the name of "entertainment", there's something seriously wrong with you. I guess thats who this sh*t is geared toward.

Great intense movie found this film utterly amazing. I'm a sucker for exploitation cinema and would love the film for it's intensity alone. But this one manages to add many layers and unique qualities. Basically the film allows a certain amount of chaos in it's structure, especially at the beginning, but out of that arises a film that is strangely enough very coherent in the final (very strong) impression it left on me. A few things that stand out are the way in which the film has the period charm that belongs to sixties movies, not only in the feel of the colors and lightening but especially in the way the actors display a certain amateurish (by lack of a better word) enthusiasm, which could easily become tacky, but it doesn't. All actors portray perfect acid-heads. Especially the female actors manage this very well. There's lots of violence and nudity. All is very well timed and it comes in brilliant doses and one final appropriate over-dose. The modern day punky Mansonites add a nice underground feel to movie as well and allow the structure of the film to be broken open. I've read this film would not be for everyone. Yeah, I guess you could say that, but what does it mean? It probably helps when you are a sixties/seventies exploitation enthusiast but if you're not I would still advise you to see it as a work of film art that is not easily compared to anything else. It's raw and violent but is positive in it's creativity.

I just watched this movie last night, and wow! I have read several books about Manson, and was surprised at how this movie mostly stuck to the facts, and still created a dramatic and frightening film about the disintegration of the Family, and the murders that took place over two nights in 1969. The direction is excellent and the editing is top-notch for a film with this budget. I was reminded of Natural Born Killers throughout many sequences in this film. I cannot believe that this film hasn't garnered more attention.The numerous depictions of drug use and sexual freedom are very realistic and accurate. The hallucinatory scenes are a visual feast. I give this movie a well deserved 10 because it never slows down, and will surely become a cult-classic for fans of disturbing and/or violent cinema. Some of the scenes of blood and gore seem fake, but real death scenes often look just as fake because they are so in-your-face with the gruesomeness and violence. This film takes no prisoners and fans of violent horror will certainly be satisfied.A warning to the squeamish..this film is vile, bloody, and chock full of sex, drugs, rape, nudity and very graphic violence.

Directed by Jim van Bebber, also responsible for related items such as the disturbing Necrophagia: Through the Eyes of the Dead (2002) a collection of gruesome music videos, as well as the violent cult classic Deadbeat at Dawn (1988). The Manson family is similarly disturbing, more so in fact as it is based on true events. The film is very well edited construction of supposed interviews with Family members, news footage and dramatic reconstruction, much of which is more convincing than one might expect through its careful mimicking of 70's shooting colours and style - process enhanced by the 15 years it took in production. None of the principals are well known, which adds to the documentary feel. Oddly enough Marcelo Games (who also appeared in Deadbeat), playing Manson himself, has little charisma, although he manages a fair enough resemblance to Charlie. This is no real disadvantage however as, for the most part the film concentrates on the Family members, rather than their bloody messiah, showing their increasing acquiescence to both cult and violence. The notorious Tate killings are convincingly and chillingly re staged, looking reasonably accurate in their portrayal of a frenzied event which effectively ended the peace & love generation's 60's dream.Van Bebber's film is notable in the way in which it uses jump cuts, short scenes, mixed shooting media and the like to recreate the stoned, psychotic experience of events, very impressive in a low budget film of this type. Less effective is the modern day framing device, in which TV men plan a documentary around the 25th anniversary of the horrific events (perhaps providing the 'source' of the main film, although this is never made entirely clear), face a band of modern day druggie anarchists, as well as final killing due this strand which, in the light of a just seen massacre, is something of an anti climax. Some of the several sex scenes at the Family's farm seem gratuitous, which suggest the exploitation background of the makers but there is no reason not to take this as, overall, a serious work. Strong stuff, uncut in the UK by the BBFC too, as taken from the unrated US edition and available in a well filled 2 disc edition at a very reasonable price.