To me, this movie is perfection.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

After seeing the 1976 version of HELTER SKELTER directed by Tom Gries, which focuses more on the investigation and trial of the Manson "family" than on the crimes themselves, I thought "It would be interesting if someone made a film which focuses on the 'family' rather than the prosecutor and actually dramatizes out the murders." That's exactly what John Gray did here. HELTER SKELTER (2004) provides an in-depth look at the Manson "family," using Linda Kasabian as a frequent focal point. It also gives some illustration of the wacko theories that Manson and certain of his followers developed in order to justify the Hinman, Tate, LaBianca, and other murders, shows the crimes themselves in front-story (rather than the brief flashbacks the '76 film showed), along with giving a new perspective on the trials and aftermaths.I've noticed some complaints that certain details of the crimes, as well as Manson's whole "Helter Skelter" theory, were misrepresented or missed altogether. As one of many long-time obsessives with the Manson murders, I can only say that the creators of this film really strove to be as accurate as possible, right up to details such as a bloody towel inadvertently landing on Jay Sebring's face and being interpreted as a symbolic "hood." It would be well-nigh impossible to capture every detail (some of which are not terribly important for our purposes today) of the murders or to explain/reveal all the justifications (which are themselves subject to disagreement) that the "family" used for committing these horrible acts. This being a drama rather than a documentary, too much analysis of Manson's motives would become quite ponderous after a while.That being said, there ARE one or two rather vague, fluffy scenes. I also read a comment somewhere by former Manson associate Bobby Beausoleil, still incarcerated for the Hinman murder, who, after watching this film, stated something to the effect that, had Manson been anywhere near as obvious a megalomaniacal creep as the one shown in this film, none of his "family" would ever have had anything to do with him. A fair statement, but again, perfectly capturing Manson's personality and his interactions with his accomplices would be virtually impossible.All things considered, this was a very hard and complicated story to pack into 137 DVD minutes, and the creators did a commendable job of choosing what/what-not to show. The acting by virtually all the major players here is quite good, often outstanding. I also like the way that the police, Bugliosi, and the other prosecutors are not represented as the completely squeaky-clean paragons of virtue that they were in the '76 HELTER SKELTER. There will always be those who are dissatisfied with how certain actual people and events are portrayed, especially when it comes to people they actually knew (or were) and events in which they actually took part. Some oversimplication is inevitable. But I repeat, it would be hard to recreate the Helter Skelter murders with a higher degree of accuracy than this film does, and anyone with the remotest interest should find HELTER SKELTER (04) fascinating.

It was a great experience, a perfect director, I felt like if I was really in the office of Mr. Polanski when he received this terrible phone call. The actor is magnifique. This scene is a masterpiece and, for me, was a space-time travel and a success. The entire film is very interesting, I always think about The Beatles song when I hear or read this title. The actress is fantastic and make us forget that she is an actress. This is the best compliment to do to somebody in that industry, right? Otherwise, I appreciate that the DVD is well distributed in the Blockbuster network. Don't miss it if you want quality time about history and a good movie. Fred Vidal™

There have been numerous plays and films written about the notorious Manson murders of the 1960s and 1970s and this one is a fascinating but still not quite definitive look at Manson and his 'Family'. I did find it more enjoyable than the last film I saw on this subject, 'The Manson Family'. This one shows much more restraint and is better written, with a greater emphasis on the psychology of Manson and his followers.The film shows the Hinman murder and the Tate-LaBianca killings, and the leadup to the trial where Manson and five of his minions were eventually convicted of mass murder. In the interim there is some flashback detailing some of Manson's psychology and the bizarre philosophy behind the murders.There was enough good dialogue to make it watchable and the complex events the film portrays are covered very well. However, the film does not do all it could in this respect. First off, I am against actual re-enactments of the murders. It feels sensationalised, grotesque and unnecessary to do this, especially as since these murders actually happened and are not fictional.Secondly, I am unhappy with Jeremy Davies' portrayal of Manson as a one-note lunatic. Despite some good writing, his portrayal does not make Manson's domination of his followers seem remotely plausible and it would have been nice to see more of Manson's background, especially how he developed and gained power over his 'family'.Thirdly, the film cuts out before the actual trial takes place. Cutting out the trial is a knock to prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, who stood up to Manson (who made numerous attempts to intimidate him) and worked his backside off to nail him. To see the lawyer in action, and more of his relationship with Manson, would have been very interesting.That said, there are some great performances here. Clea Duvall makes a fetching Linda Kasabian and her journey is movingly rendered. Marguerite Moreau makes a seductively sexy Susan Atkins and, although she is playing a cold-blooded killer, is very enjoyable to watch. Bruno Kirby is slightly miscast as Vincent Bugliosi. He is ten years too old and a tad top heavy, but he does capture the tenacity and compassion of the man and when he turns up he feels like a fresh breath of sanity in the midst of all the blood and madness.A good picture but there are still some areas of the Manson cult, asides from the murders themselves, that could still be explored on screen.

The only real problem I had with the film was that they didn't get into the whole Beatles / Revolution / Apocalypse angle enough. I would have liked to see more of Charlie talking about his ideas and philosophies. You never get a clear picture as to why these kids were so attached to the hippie guru.I think that in order to get a more complete picture of the murders etc, you need to view this along with the original TV movie.As far as this film not telling us anything new? Well, it's been over 30 years since the murders. There ISN'T anything new to tell.If some of the dialogue is taken from the Manson documentary, that is great. These are the words of the people who were there so that only seems appropriate.