Narrated in a dry, dated, Dragnet style, this 1976 made-for-TV movie meticulously detailing the capture and trial of Charles Manson remains attention-grabbing and quite effectively chilling, if not exactly exciting, nearly 30 years later. Following the LAPD investigation as the cult leader's string of group murders in 1969 are all too slowly connected by sloppy police work, director Tom Gries makes superb use of freeze-frames, superimposition, and an ersatz-Hitchcockian score (heavy on the high-tension strings) to ratchet up the anxiety level--even before he reveals any of the gruesome particulars through nightmarish flashbacks during the cult members' contentious courtroom testimony. Some aspects of Helter Skelter are either problematic (the filmmakers don't know much about evidence handling) or haven't aged well (the spaced-out psycho-hippie bliss of Manson's followers is filtered through the eyes of middle-aged Hollywood squares). But the film, fascinating in its historical exactitude, is anchored by the dead-on psychotic showmanship of Steve Railsback as Manson and the strong performance of George DiCenzo as District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi, who manages to pull off both a Joe Friday-esque deadpan and an overly passionate courtroom demeanor, all while being saddled with that awkward onscreen narration. No doubt plopped onto DVD to coincide with the 2004 remake starring Jeremy Davies as Manson, this extra-less disc--featuring a disappointingly marred and faded transfer--is still a strong optional purchase, especially since it marks the debut of the full-length 184-minute cut. (R. Blackwelder)
Helter Skelter
Warner, 184 min., not rated, DVD: $19.95 Volume 19, Issue 4
Helter Skelter
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