Review by Stephanie Scaife
Jim Van Bebber’s The Manson Family is a labour of love if ever there was one, taking him approximately fifteen years to complete, shooting on weekends and days off for over ten years, then taking a further five years to edit due to a constant lack of funds. So what started out in 1988 and was shown in various incomplete forms during the mid 90s was finally released on DVD and in cinemas in 2003, with an R-rated cut in the US also screening with a running time reduced by over 11 minutes, and unrated versions doing the festival circuit. It should come as no surprise that this film gained notoriety and a cult following before it was even properly released. Now on its 10th anniversary we are being treated to a Blu-ray release.
The Manson Family is a mixed bag, a combination of grainy pseudo stock footage, talking heads and segments set in the present, all of which make this bizarre film difficult to describe. I think a fictionalised docu-drama is the best I can come up with, but that still doesn’t necessarily honour the film and its batshit crazy intentions. The actors are by turn both compelling and crude, the sprawling time frame of the shoot even adding to its authenticity as you see them at different stages in their lives for real. The stock footage is expertly crafted by Van Bebber; without prior knowledge you’d swear on your life that you were watching an exploitation film from the 60s, something akin to Herschell Gordon Lewis. Right down to the faked graininess of the film and the tomato ketchup gore effects, this is an example of someone working very hard to create the look of something cheap and sleazy, and boy does it show. The now notorious dog-sacrifice-orgy-cum-crucifixion scene is truly a sight to behold, though whether or not you actually want to see such a thing is another matter…
There is no real narrative structure to the film; it bounces back and forwards in time, to the present day where a newscaster is working on a documentary about Manson and a group of naked, drug addled kids plan a homage killing (these prove to be the weakest segments). The talking heads are an interesting touch, although I discovered that these are not from any genuine accounts by the people involved as Van Bebber thought the real life perpetrators would soften their stories or attempt to justify their actions, making this purely a work of fiction. The strongest scenes are those set around the formation of the family and in the run up to the infamous Tate murders; the psychedelic surrealism, and soundtrack that incorporates Manson’s own music, create a real feel for the era and create a visual feast that is both trippy and fascinating to watch, at least initially.
I was surprised to find mostly positive reviews of The Manson Family online, as although this is a truly unique piece of filmmaking and unlike anything else I’ve seen before I also found it became tedious very quickly and offered no real insight into the events that transpired. The violence is schlocky, the acting is at times very amateurish and the endless orgies and drug taking quickly become tiresome. That’s not to say that it isn’t a remarkable achievement and that it doesn’t warrant watching, especially for fans of cult cinema, but for me what started off as a curiosity quickly became boring and by the end I was mostly just glad it was over.
The Manson Family 10th Anniversary Blu-ray is out now from Severin Films.
TMF Trailer 2013 RedBand from Severin Films on Vimeo.