Co-written by the prosecutor in the Manson case, the Helter Skelter movie is a 3-hour, procedural, prosecution chronicle full of dry detail. A typical teleplay, it isn't lean or atmospheric or particularly thrilling, and it has policemen putting their bare hands all over crime-scene evidence, attesting to the writers' limitations. Nevertheless, the film thrives on its factual authenticity with regards to the case itself. The Manson affair is even more fascinating when you get pedantic.

Not bad for the year it was made.

Steve Railsback: When Jeffrey Combs isn't guano crazy enough.

A slightly different feel for this type of thing, its full of authentic factual info regarding the actual events. Crazy right?

{I saw the 119-minute version} An intriguing examination of why the loosening of social inhibitions might not have been such a great idea. The people who wax nostalgic about the 60s never seem to mention Charles Manson, for some mysterious reason