Movie Reviews 188 – Helter Skelter (1976)

Based on Los Angeles deputy district attorney Vincent Bugliosi’s definitive book documenting the Manson family crime rampage of 1969, Helter Skelter was shot as a short two-night TV miniseries movie by CBS.

Lead by Charles Manson as some sort of Messiah figure, his ‘family’ of young lost souls camped at various remote ranches and terrorized the Hollywood hills of Los Angeles in August 1969 with two consecutive house break ins in which the occupants were senselessly and brutally murdered. The first murders took place at the house of director Roman Polanski (Polanski himself being away at the time), the most gruesome aspect of that night’s terror being the blood curdling death of his wife, actress Sharon Tate, eight months pregnant at the time. The second house murder was not far away at the LaBianca residence two nights later. While the two night spree culminated in the death of seven people, it was only, piecing together the murders, that authorities determined that Manson, both alone and with his followers, probably killed more than 30 people.

Disillusioned with authority and intent on starting a revolution, Manson hoped that the murders would be blamed on African Americans and that as a result of the accusations a race war would ensue. Splattering lyrics and titles of Beatles songs using the blood of his victims at the crime scenes, the musician Mansion believed the Beatles and other groups were hinting at the revolution and  he took it upon himself to spark the battle.

While not the first such killing sprees in history, the Hollywood locale, brutality of the murders and the uncovering of the past deeds of The Family and made Charles Manson a household name during the trials and his continued imprisonment to this very day day more than 45 years later (his original death sentence being commuted to life in prison when California dropped the death penalty) has relegated the Manson name to the top of serial killer notoriety list.

A rationale of simply being crazy was not the norm (not sure if that can be said today) and they really had to struggle with the fact that they were really dealing with an entire group of people basically following orders from a Messiah figure.

Steve Railsback nails the crazed look as Charles Manson, but there are so many other aspects of the investigation and other characters that his role is a lot smaller than you would expect. Indeed the central character is that of deputy DA Bugliosi (George DiCenzo) himself and all the authorities piecing together the crimes and trying to comprehend the motives.

Interestingly, Railsback went on to portray another serial killer in the title of role of the movie Ed Gein .

Having read Bugliosi’s book many years ago, I can attest that the movie, through no fault of it’s own, barely captures the horrors that really played out all those years ago. In order to get a sense of the carnage that took place, a lot of details and events have to be put under the lens, something that can’t be captured in a highly cleansed for TV and mere 3 ½ hour movie.

If you really want to understand the Manson story, I highly recommend reading the book. I can honestly say that it is the scariest book I’ve ever read even when comparing it with the numerous horror fiction titles I’ve read over the years. The fact that is not fiction, but depict real life atrocities is what makes it so compelling.

But if haven’t got time to read the book, then this movie will convey the big picture, but only marginally so.

Movie Reviews 162 – Ed Gein (2000)

I got my hands and the Killer 3 DVD Pack which features movies for three of the biggest serial killers in US history, Ed Gein, John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer. So let’s run them off one at a time.

Ed Gein (2000)

Unless you’re a bona fide horror movie fan or dally in psycho serial killers, the name Ed Gein probably doesn’t mean much to you. But the real life Ed Gein was something of a sensation when his secret life came to light leading to his shocking arrest in 1957.

Beyond the mere killing of victims it was the deeds performed on the body remnants that captured the headlines of the Plainfield Wisconsin small town loner. Among the many grisly artifacts found in his home at the time he was incarcerated were human noses, human skin face masks, female heads (some with the tops sawn off), chair’s upholstered in human skin, a lampshade made with a human face, and skull bowls. He also had a collection of human female genitalia. There is more, but the point I’m trying to make is that given this list of artifacts it becomes clear why Gein’s notoriety transcended the news headlines and proved to be fertile fodder for Hollywood. The movies Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to movies directly inspired by Gein. Other examples abound and one could argue that the domino effect of those movie was what gave rise to the Slasher films of the 70’s. Even Silence of the Lambs was a byproduct, not because of the character of Hannibal Lecter, but the killer serial killer Lecter was engaged to help find.

Originally titled “In the Light of the Moon” , “Ed Gein” is the US release title of the movie. The film does a great job of sticking to most of the factual events in Gein’s life and also captures most of the atrocities he performed, some in great detail, others only presented briefly or hinted at, and as such it is a factual historical presentation. The acting is fine (Steve Railsback as Ed and Carrie Snodgress as his Bible quoting mother in particular), but script wise the movie is devoid of any excitement. Sure we get to see some pretty horrific stuff, but at the same time this is all presented in a relatively tame and timid manner, nearing a documentary pace. We certainly get some insight into Gein’s inner demon and some reasons that certainly explain his skewed mindset, but not as much as I had hoped. I do love the fact that they did not really embellish the known facts and acts (and who needed to do that given the ghastly truth in this case), but I wished the presentation was a bit more energetic and not as flat. If the ‘true story’ is what you are seeking, the movie does deliver and doesn’t leave out many ‘real life’ facts. But for real trills, you’re better off watching all those ‘inspired’ offspring.