The Family: Inside the Manson Cult (2009 TV Movie) User Reviews

Better than Expected

[uriahok-1 · 8/10 · 8 September 2009]

When I saw that the History Channel was putting together yet another documentary on the Manson Murders, my skepticism was pretty high. Recent attempts to discuss or re-enact the murders and/or trials have added little to the discussion, and in some cases, were downright awful or amateurish at best (see Jim VanBebber's "The Manson Family"). After watching this latest attempt, I was mildly impressed.

The acting is decent, although some of the actors chosen were all wrong for the parts (Terry Melcher as a skinny guy with short brown hair...I mean...REALLY). The re-enactments of the murders were pretty well done, although for some unknown reason, the filmmakers got the clothing wrong AGAIN. It is common knowledge that the killers all wore dark clothing (a mistake also made in the latest TV-movie version of "Helter Skelter" five years ago...WHY???) and the houses used to sub for the Tate and LaBianca residences look all wrong. Surely they could have found houses that looked somewhat like the actual sites? Still, it could have been worse! What made this most intriguing was the participation of star witness Linda Kasabian. She has given few public interviews over the past forty years, so it was interesting to see her here. While some may still disagree with her exoneration due to being the star state's witness, the fact remains that she did not kill anyone either night. Was she an accomplice? Yes...but nowhere as culpable as her colleagues in madness. Vincent Bugliosi and Debra Tate also make appearances in the film, although they add little new to the mix. I really think Bugliosi could do Manson material in his sleep at this point! The program also does a good job of showing Manson's shift from "peace and love" leader to the raving maniac he has since become (partly due to his joy in mocking the mass media by being the madman they want him to be). The scenes of the Spahn Ranch are well done, and for the most part, this is a decent documentary. While few Manson programs will reach the heights of the original TV movie from 1976 (even with its over-the-top moments), this little program does a good job of hitting the primary points of the case.

Classic or definitive? No. A decent introduction to those who do not know the case? Yes.

It had an interesting prospective, good for those who want less gore and more facts...

[scarletminded · 7/10 · 3 October 2010]

It's an average movie done in the trendy styles that What We Do Is Secret did, only a bit better. First the actors did try to act, unlike the Germs film. I liked the prospective of the woman who did escape from the Family in the end, that way you saw the acts as an outsider, which I feel is more gory than showing it firsthand and this is better for those of us who want facts about the Manson Family Murders yet don't want to see every violent second, though there are photos of the victims at the end of it.

It should probably be more balanced, like show the victims families and their reactions to the case. Sharon Tate's sister is there, so we get her opinions of it. It is especially moving when she talks about Roman Polanski surviving the terrible things that Nazis were doing in Poland, yet broke down mentally when his wife and unborn child were murdered. And maybe Linda Kasabian should have served some time for her passive accessory activity during the murders (she herself, like Manson, didn't directly kill anyone), but her escape and hiding led to the capture of the Family, so without that, they might have kept on killing.

I wouldn't recommend it as your first and only exposure to this story, but if you know about the Manson Family already, the prospective of Linda Kasabian's view of her time there might give you new insight. I only encountered it on late night TV, after I found out a Foetus song, DI-19026 was about Spahn Ranch, apparently it was Spahn Ranch's phone number, as least that is what it says on the record. Anyway, weird meshing of events.

Historically important if nothing else

[nickca · 5/10 · 31 March 2022]

If you're a student of Mansonalia like I am, this isn't going to teach you anything new, and it's basically verbatim reciting Bugliosi's "innocent little Linda Kasabian" narrative - Bugliosi even appears here to say the same things you've heard him say in every other documentary. However, there's one important thing that makes this stand out: it's the only appearance of the real Linda Kasabian in a documentary and likely the only one that will ever be. Catherine "Gypsy" Share also shows up, but that's hardly unique, "token Manson associate in documentaries" seems to be her gig now. Would I recommend it? Yes, if you're a Manson completist and the idea of "Kasabian's only ever appearance" is even important to you, otherwise no.

be warned: real death photos in this hack doco

[ptb-8 · 2/10 · 15 November 2010]

This seriously deranged faux doco about the hideous Manson family killers is peppered with actual photos of the real victims in their heartbreaking stabbed gore. This use of real photos shocked me more than anything and I personally found the genuine police report black and white pic of 8 months pregnant Sharon Tate lying on the floor, all smashed to death particularly distressing. The reenactments are also very gruesome, with repeated scenes of actors stabbing and bashing each other. One scene even has a 3 year old child in an unedited shot where 'Manson' beats and kicks a woman. How this assault looked to the child is horrifying as a 3 year old cannot discern playacting of this brutal magnitude. This doco seems to have a keen eye to explicitly display the atrocity reenactments for maximum gore exposure. Debra Tate, Sharon's sister actually appears and I gasp to think how she dealt with this as a finished product. For a TV movie is contains R Rated violence and would have been a tough sit for anyone involved. The details described in the stabbings are equally pointless as we already know these poor people died in a horrific way but to hear what they said and blood and bone details is simply revolting cruelty to the audience. And unbelievable disrespectful to the real families of the original crime. This is a vulgar exploitive doco with a desire to expose the worst violence imaginable, explicitly re inact it, and show the real crime scene photos....and rub it in your face. Terrible.

Disturbing but well done?

[wsbforme · 26 February 2014]

It's an awful story, but it's what happened. There has always been a morbid fascination with these crimes and the Manson family in general. One thing I give this docudrama is that they do tap into the public's interest in the whole Helter Skelter thing; but they also explicitly show how brutal and awful it was too. I don't think it was bloody just for shock value. It's what happened. If that sort of thing is disturbing to you; then I would suggest not watching it. But I think it's important to show the brutality of it, because otherwise you're sanitizing it. I'm sure the last thing the filmmakers wanted was to glorify these murders. But in order to do right by the victims you have to tell the truth. I think they did an excellent job. It's very interesting, but wrong as hell all at the same time. I think they did a very good job with handling the subject matter.

Appalling apologia from a murder witness, masquerading as a docudrama...

[moonspinner55 · 1/10 · 8 September 2009]

Linda Kasabian recounts her 1969 relationships with Charles Manson and his youthful followers as if she were one of those women on TV chatting about how taking an aspirin saved her life. This ridiculous two-hour special from the History Channel shows virtually no interest in the victims who lost their lives at the hands of these people, only in Kasabian's sluggish 'bystander' retelling of events (enacted by performers who seem to have been over-directed without benefit of a script). This is one of those bad ideas which can't even be compensated for by the testimony of case prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi or Debra Tate, sister to slain actress Sharon Tate. The intimate details offered by the special are suspect, the reenacted crimes (broken up by commercial interruptions) are sketchily drawn, and the statistics at the finale (which shows the ACTORS posing for mug-shots!) are half-hearted at best, swiftly wiped from the screen like yesterday's headlines. Shameful, pointless swill. It's difficult to discern whether Kasabian is apologizing for her involvement...or if the show is apologizing for her.

Here for the actual people

[pbxdxfq · 3/10 · 8 December 2021]

Honestly, the biggest saving grace for this film is having the real-life former members (Linda, Gypsy), the investigator, and Sharon Rate's sister offering perspective and narrative throughout. Otherwise, I couldn't get past how none of the actors looked like the actual people (very confusing when trying to keep track of who's who) and how the guy playing Manson sounds like every Fire-and-Brimstone Southern preacher I grew up listening to, despite being born in the north, spending most of his life in prison, and ending up in Cali. Made it impossible for me to take his character seriously. Spent the whole movie imitating his overdone accent except where the actual people were talking about what it was like.

Well-Made and Effective Docu-Drama

[Michael_Elliott · 18 April 2016]

Manson (2009)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This made-for-TV documentary takes a look at the brutal and ghastly murders committed by Charles Manson and his "family." Linda Kasabian was on hand for the Tate/LaBianca murders and she's interviewed here as she talks about her life in the family and what happened on those two nights.

There have been countless documentaries on Charles Manson so it's hard to find one that offers something new or different. This one here benefits from getting to hear from not only Kasabian but also Vincent Bugliosi, Catherine Share and Debra Tate who discusses what Roman Polanski was like when he got the news. Another benefit is that the re-enactments are quite effective here and we get some nice performances from the actors including Adam Kenneth Wilson who plays Manson.

There's plenty of discussion about the main events of this story including Manson's race war plans and of course the two nights of terror. Sensitive viewers should be warned that crime scene photos are shown and it's just amazing how crazed these people were when they were doing these crimes. The interviews themselves are quite good and contain plenty of details. With that said, I honestly can't see Kasabian as any sort of hero even though she did testify against the family.

Should be re-titled ' Bugliosi's fantasy stories'

[kiowhatta · 4/10 · 2 December 2023]

The chief prosecutor of this case was Vincent Bugliosi, and early on once the perpetrators were arrested, realised that Manson did not have any direct evidence linking him to the crimes - only circumstantial, and the testimony of Kasabian.

So much like the enactment of the RICO predicates decades later, Bugliosi introduced exaggerated here-say creating a vast fantastical theory and narrative that put Manson in a godfather type role with delusions and theories about Helter Skelter, race wars, and other nonsense that had nothing to do with the motives for the murders.

Bugliosi is such a media hound he's probably appeared in more films playing himself than any other attorney in history.

I've also read his book of hyperbole, supernatural suggestion and partial evil deification of Manson who was able to make his watch stop in the middle of a hearing.

Bugliosi wanted to be famous, revered and respected and he wouldn't allow truth to get in the way.

If you want to know the real reason for the murders then here it is:

The murder of Gary Hinman over a drug debt lead to Manson family member Bobby Beausoleil being arrested and charged.

Manson wanted to free Bobby from jail, and because the word 'piggy' or similar was written in blood on the wall, Manson and his associates believed that carrying out a series of copy cat murders would convince authorities Beausoleil was not the perpetrator and he would be realeased.

Now, if you believe in the principle inherent in Occam's razor then once Bugliosi used in his book every larger than life character and sensational tropes like copying Rommel's armoured warfare tactics in the desert using buggies, ( introducing Nazism ), along with the other two exciting, shocking theories that Manson was an evil mentalist that could read people's minds and use mind control ( introducing black magic ), then the idea of sparking a race war ( playing and manipulating on the civil rights issue that was real at the time ) then throwing in for good measure a baseless theory that Manson felt slighted by the musical industry and planned to kill everyone from Frank Sinatra to Steve McQueen, then you complete an entire montage of sensational, fantastical, alluring, shocking, but above all interesting ideas that will surely play on as many peoples ignorance, curiosity, incredulity and interest above all.

Bugliosi turned this into a giant orchestrated media event in which he was the writer, director, and producer-feeding the masses bread and circus which they readily consumed.

He also invited conservative Americans to vindicate themselves by being able to point to these 'hippies' and say 'see they're no good! I knew it.' Additionally he planted the seed that these hippies were dangerous; and amongst us.

So he turned up the dial by frightening everyone, suggesting these innocent looking bright young things could come for you next.

In all Bugliosi put on an epic Faustian piece of theatre where ordinary motives and ideas, evidence were railroaded out of the court in favour of a with trial where Manson was the devil amongst us.

He incorporated, very cleverly but without ethics every fear based major motif, idea, icon and trope that exists.

No matter how you feel about the murders, this was not a fair and impartial trial. Worse still, a prosecutor lied, manipulated and cast himself as a media darling, a righteous crusader and the one man who knew the truth of these crimes.

Bugliosi's lies made a mockery of the legal system, he deliberately profited from it, and to hell with justice.

In essence he was as much of a master manipulator, show runner, bereft of ethics and justice as some of those he prosecuted.

He will still appear on any documentary 50 years later beating the same drum, spewing the same lies as he always had.

I'm not sure who I have more contempt for.