Inside The Manson Gang (2007)

Memorable, crazy movie

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is terrible. It's worse than a made-for-TV movie. It is actually unwatchable. The narrator unbearable. His delivery is so contrived and overwrought it's ridiculous. I tried skimming through because the archive footage is interesting but he totally ruins it. Waste of time and potentially great material. If the original material can be reused then it would be worth your time, but in it's current state, it's laughable. I am amazed that an experienced filmmaker would make this, let alone think it was good. It doesn't shed any light, or provide any new insight into the mindset of the perpetrators or their daily life before or after the murders. It makes a mockery of the seriousness of the crimes and their impact, as well as the history of the "family".

in 1973, Hendrickson made one of the best (if not THE best) Manson documentaries ever. Consisting only of real footage and interesting interviews, it gives a great look in the Manson Family, after Manson and the Tate-La Bianca killers were already in prison. It's a definite must-see for all the people who are interested in the case.I do not know why (though I can guess), but Hendrickson has decided to make a second documentary. "Inside the Manson Gang" is the result.In his 1973 movie, the images and interviews speak for themselves. Which makes it a very strong documentary. But in this second one, Hendrickson has decided to narrate the whole thing. And did he really go wrong there! The voice-over goes from annoying to ridiculous. The man can't help his slightly annoying voice, but it's mainly the way he narrates that is at times impossible to take serious. Take comments as: 'This is the room where the family orgies took place. They possibly had a few human sacrifices there too.', include spooky sound effects when nothing happens, and the whole thing is just... well... yes, ridiculous. He tries to make it look like he is in big danger all the time, which is totally nonsense. He puts tension in the documentary where there isn't any, and tries to make the whole thing more sensational. It's totally unnecessary. Thinking back to the original movie, it was chilling enough by itself. Now, with this narrating, it gives me almost the idea that the Manson Family is innocent, as many things are so out of proportion that you would almost just laugh trough it and forget that those people actually really WERE dangerous. So in my eyes, Robert kind of spoiled his own intentions.Aside from that, if you are not familiar with the case, "Inside the Manson Gang" is like one pile of illogical vagueness. There is no real line in it. If you don't already know much about the Manson Family, their people and crimes, I can imagine that on more than one occasion you wonder who is who, what it is they are they talking about, and actually even what this movie is about. Don't I have anything good to say about this movie? Well, yes I do. But that is mainly because for me, with a fascination for the Manson case, it is still interesting enough to look at. Like in the first one, this documentary only exists of real footage, and it's all bits that weren't in the first documentary. Which is something I really liked. We see the guys and girls being busy with their normal lives, doing their stuff, and that is what makes this documentary still worth to watch for the true followers of the Manson case. When I finished watching it, my first conclusion was that Robert Hendrickson went from making one of the best, to one of the worst Manson-related documentaries. I'll still give it a 5 out of 10, but only because of all the never-seen-before material, which is still great to watch.

Hendrickson's 1973 documentary "Manson" was very good, mainly for its interviews with key family members, and for keeping in mind that it was, precisely, a documentary. For me, this new attempt "Inside the Manson gang" was a huge disappointment. There is some good stuff, most of it looking obviously as unused footage from "Manson", and though it jumps too fast from one situation to another without resolution, it's good to see some outtakes. On the other hand, the riot scenes from anti Vietnam demonstrations seem like fillers. But what really spoils this is the director's voice over narration, who in my opinion treats the audience like idiots by attempting to turn it into a horror movie (music and all). And what's worse, whenever he claims to be in serious danger, nothing ever happens. Stick to the original "Manson" and you'll be OK.

"Inside the MANSON Gang" has not been distributed to theaters YET. Instead, Tobann International Pictures is experimenting with a new method of marketing: Limited Edition, personalized and signed DVDs that can be purchased directly from the filmmaker. Each DVD and each cover insert is signed by Robert Hendrickson. Each cover will also have the name of the purchaser hand printed right along with the filmmaker. These exclusive DVDs are available right on Amazon.com. Just type in MANSON DVD in Amazon's search block. Plus, you can also purchase a Limited Editon DVD of the classic 1973 Manson documentary in the same way. This is the first authorized release of the 1973 MANSON on DVD and the only ones mastered in wide screen format, just as the film played in theaters all across America decades ago. You can also have these special DVDs issued personally to someone you want to gift for the holidays. IE: Their name will be hand printed right on the DVD covers. Just make sure you let us know, when you order through Amazon, what name you want on the DVD covers. What a gift for that someone special who wants to relive the wild and crazy 1960's. To everyone from Tobann International: Happy Holidays