The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter

The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter
by Mike Dorsey

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DVD details

Actor: Scott Michaels
Director: Mike Dorsey
Producer: Scott Michaels
Writer: Scott Michaels
Producer: Mike Dorsey
Writer: Mike Dorsey
Producer: Lloyd Bryan Adams
DVD: Region Code 0
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-12-29
Studio: Tenacity Entertainment Not A Hollywood Sign Production LLC

DVD Reviews of The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter

DVD Review: The Fascinating True Story
Summary: 4 Stars

This documentary is well-directed by Mike Dorsey, a compelling and fascinating story of what really happened on the night of the Sharon Tate murders. Having seen other documentaries on the subject, this is the definitive and revealing account of the events surrounding this bizarre tragedy. It even has a CSI-like account of the medical evidence presented by a real Medical Examiner. To me, the most emotional moments were the playing of actual audio recordings from Manson and his women. There were also exciting moments when the filmmakers sneaked around and stole shots in certain restricted locations. The extent of information provided by Scott Michaels is amazing and well worth your time to watch this excellent documentary.

DVD Review: Don't let this one pass you by....
Summary: 5 Stars

This film was a nice suprise. I have been reviewing books and videos/dvd's, partial transcripts for many years and I was happy to find that this production held my interest by offering new information. This is very well done, it has a nice flow to it.

This is a must have item for anyone who is interested in the Manson case.

DVD Review: A movie made to feed an ego
Summary: 2 Stars

From the writeup on this film, I rather expected it to have some more information on Manson's relationship with various Hollywood residents such as Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys.

Instead, the film spends the first 10 or so minutes with the narrator who owns some sort of strange "graveyard" tour company. He spends time showing off his collection of death related bric-a-brac from pieces of tile to sinks. It's most uninteresting.

From the there the film becomes one long and boring tour of sites tangentially related to the murders. He sits outside the home of Jay Sebring with the current owner and ends up swapping ghost stories. Then we hear all about Sebring's career and see his salon and a list of his clients! After that it's just a long series of exterior shots of buildings and utterly banal recitations of Hollywood trivia.

The only real highlight was when he did briefly touch on Manson's relationship with Wilson and actually played a recording of a song written by Charles Manson that the Beach Boys, supposedly re-worked for an album.

Later, as many of these ghoulish amateur profiteers are wont to do he spends a good deal of time pumping himself up and namedropping. He then wanders around the ranch where Manson lived with a metal detector picking up pieces of trash to cart off for his collection.

Honestly, it was quite boring and seemed to be more the work of a couple amateurs with some money. Obviously, this was not meant to be a really serious documentary and expansion of any material about the Manson Family and the Tate/Labianca Murders, but rather a long commercial for this man's tour company.

The tour itself might be great, but as a documentary it's really quite a waste of time for anyone seriously interested in this case and particularly in how such an insane monster could drift in and out of Hollywood society.

DVD Review: Waste of Time
Summary: 1 Stars

As someone who has always found the Manson case quite fascinating, and based on all the positive reviews, I bought this documentary, expecting something really profound. What a waste of time! This video told me nothing that I didn't already know about the case, was really boring for the most part, and wasted my time.

The narrator runs a Hollywood-based tour service that apparently specializes in celebrity homes and graves, as well as high-profile crime scenes. Frankly, based on this video, I think his tours are probably a really great time. The problem is that this video consists of not much more than a video version of a tour of sites related to the Manson family and the Tate/La Bianca murders.

Seriously, I'm not interested in seeing the garage where the Manson family got their dune buggies modified and repaired ("it's still there after all these years!"), the former bicycle shop where Abigail Folger ordered a Schwinn shortly before her death, or the mexican restaurant where the Tate victims ate their final meal. I'm definitely not at all interested in an interview with the current owner of Jay Sebring's house, and a late-night walk up the lane to the former site of the Tate/Polanski home holds no interest at all. I also don't care at all about the narrator's personal collection of celebrity memorabilia (a piece of tile from Jayne Mansfield's pool? Really?).

If these sights are of interest to you, go ahead and buy. If not, you might find the visit to the Barker ranch moderately interesting, but for me, it's definitely not worth the price of the video.

DVD Review: Helter Skelter Revisited+
Summary: 4 Stars

So many Manson documentaries have given the viewing public such scant information over the years,that the mythical urban legend has completely replaced any shred a truth left.This documentary hits upon some interesting connections not widely known,and unfortunately reinforces some of the false fables of Helter Skelter.I don't believe in opening wounds ,just to pour salt into.Yet,there needs to be a clear record of what went on.This documentary shows all the places the 'Family' traveled to,and giving some interesting stories about the various sites and people. Halfway through,the narrator points out that Roman Polansky believed that rock legends John Phillips and Mama Cass Elliot were behind the Helter Skelter murders.Vrytek Frykovsky recieved some fifty-one stab wounds,while others received only a dozen or two stab wounds.It seems Vrytek was the main intended victim,over a disputed drug-deal.Roman Polansky obtained Cass Elliot's little list of connections,and found names crossed out with the words 'PIG' written in.The same word was smeared across the blood bespeckled frontdoor.Something strange went on during those hot August days of 1969.The video provides the best visual documentary of the various crime scenes and places of interest.I think the one main thing I got out of watching this travel documentary,was that Manson was already 'Dead Man Walking'.Charlie didn't want to be released into public society again.Charlie was a mark man,by well-connected prisoners who knew how to manipulate the system,inside and outside the walls. The Helter-Skelter plot was just a way for the real players to blame a Hollywood newby ,like Manson,if their drug-schemes every fell apart.And indeed it did.Manson frustrated at his artistic failures,relished the sub-lime light,and his new found notority.All the places,left standing,that the Mansons stumbled into,are shown.Many places ,long time gone,are not discussed.The 'Yellow Submarine' house,Cole street,Henry Haight/Ashbury,and Ralph's Market are just a few of the places skipped over.This is perhaps the best visual roadmap around yet,from the devil-may-care dune-buggy days til the final fortnight of Helter Skelter.

Description of The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter

"The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter" walks in the footsteps of the Manson Family, visiting over 40 locations related to the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, and tying together the dozens of odd connections between Charles Manson and the Hollywood elite.

Entertainingly led by famous Hollywood historian Scott Michaels (E!'s 20 Most Horrifying Hollywood Murders, Dearly Departed: Vol. 1, FindADeath.com), this epic documentary employs never-before-seen autopsy reports (analyzed with the help of the Los Angeles Department of the Coroner), dozens of rare photographs, original Manson Family music recordings, and modern-day visits to the locations where the action went down, in the most complete retelling of the Manson Murders ever put on film.

"You absolutely must by this DVD. (They) get the story right with witty commentary and tons of great footage of places you may have never seen." -- CharlieManson.com

"Scott Michaels knows where the bodies are buried." -- The Los Angeles Times

"Scott Michaels takes you on a journey in this feature-length DVD documentary... an entertaining and hauntingly unique retelling of the notorious Manson Family Murders!" -- MansonFamilyToday.info

Featured on IGN and FilmStew.com.

Visit the official website for the film at: HelterSkelterFilm.com

This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

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