The Manson Massacre (1971)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Manson Massacre, The (1972) ** (out of 4) There have been some very good movies made about Charles Manson and those evil events of 1969 but this here isn't one of them. This movie is pure exploitation as we get no real connection to actual events but the title is all you need and I'm sure many have been drawn to it. In the film we see Manson, looking for like a guru, taking in various young woman and seducing them before sending them out to do his evil acts. We also get to see flashbacks of the early Manson and the start of his madness. Again, the actual events aren't followed so no one should come into this thing expecting some sort of documentary. What you do get is a cheap horror movie that's main goal was to show beautiful women naked and we get quite a bit of this. This German production has never been released with English subs but following the movie wasn't too difficult. I find it interesting that the producers made Manson a rather boring figure as he is pretty laid back and never really shows any emotion. The "Manson Girls" aren't really anything special as they're basically just used for T&A as they're constantly getting naked for any reason. I'm certainly not going to complain about this as nudity is certainly a very important factor in exploitation. Cult favorite Uschi Digard gets plenty of nude time as she plays one of Manson's early lovers and it's her abusive boyfriend that the nut tests in terms of murder. It's always nice seeing Digard show up in anything so that is a plus. The violence in the film is extremely low and doesn't happen until the final few minutes of the 69-minute running time. The special effects are pretty lame and the blood letting is just a few drops. The final murder sequence is probably going to be what draws most people here but again, the facts of the real case aren't used. A Sharon Tate figure is used here but she's not pregnant. Another change is that they have the Manson girls being invited into the home as the males living there are swingers. I've read a few theories that some of the killers had been in the house weeks before the murders and perhaps this is why the film selected that thought as it was probably popular back in 1972. In the end, this movie is extremely cheap but some of the colorful shots and constant nudity at least keeps it moving. There's certainly nothing too special here but fans of trash should get a few kicks out of it.

There are two striking different narratives in this film by one-time-director "Kentucky Jones" (how is that connected to Indiana Jones, I wonder?). First is the (colour) story of his bizarre love cult, a typically stereotyped religious community with a male guru and his young female followers. You have the sex, you have the chanting, but there's not much of charisma in the leader, and even less of a story. For whatever reason they come across an assembly of four equally stereotyped party people eager to explore, both spiritually and physically, new things, all in the wake of '68. While at first this combination seems to fit perfectly, things get out of hand soon… Yet from the perspective of today, the Manson family's massacre on Sharon Tate et al. is weaker connected than one might think. (In Germany, it is thus called 'The Daughters of Satan' to eliminate any false promises.) Second, there are the (black and white) flashback sequences, giving rather fragmentary information on the cults' backgrounds and their motivation. With one exception: The past of the leader is explored a bit deeper, giving insight into an insane mixture of incest, homosexual rape and other violence. Since this is exploitation at it's worst (and therefore best), there's not need to be convincing or realistic. The characters are pure cliché, direction is fourth class, the music is campy, the actors can't act. With other words: Great fun, highly entertaining, and the script even has some notable ideas.

**Contains Spoilers**Charlie M. sleeps with all his girls, then rests in a casket and has black-and-white flashbacks on his way to the "massacre" which bears no resemblance to the actual case. There is some gore and violence at the end but nothing approaching what actually happened in August 1969. The flashbacks are more fun, if you're not easily offended. These contain-- among other things--prostitution, incest, homosexual rape, Uschi Digard as Charlie's mother and one dirtball character who bears more of a resemblance to Manson than the actor actually playing Charlie. The version I saw was in German but the sleaze and near-total disregard for the truth transcend any language barrier. If you liked SWEET SAVIOR and THE HELTER SKELTER MURDERS, then MANSON MASSACRE might just be your cup of swill.

Just imagine a wild trip down Mansons' lane and just how did all those freaked out kids get there?Well this movie will leave no stone unturned in telling how these kids got so F'up and the resulting things they do.Society is to blame doncha' know?Really a sleaze classic,up there w/ the Sinful Dwarf and the Candy Snatchers.I got the German DVD(way outta print!)BTW,my fiancee is German, so I had the luxury of instant dialog translation but you really don't need it for this one.Happy hunting!