Helter Skelter: An American Myth :: Charles Manson is Your Brother

Epix

Most people of a certain age remember the horrific murders of Sharon Tate and her friends on the night of August 9, 1969. In addition to Tate and her unborn baby (she was 8 months pregnant), the victims included hair stylist Jay Sebring and Folger’s Coffee heiress Abigail Folger. Tate’s husband Roman Polanski was in Europe working on a film. Quincy Jones had been invited to the house for a party as was Steve McQueen, but neither attended. Manson chose that particular house because he and Tex Watson, one of the murderers, had been to the house at least once and knew the layout. After the murders, Manson was unhappy with the panic of the victims and chose another house in Los Angeles to bring his ‘family’ to in order to ‘show them how to do it’, which resulted in the deaths of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.

The Manson Family murders have been the subject of numerous newspaper articles, books, movies and TV shows, the most recent being the film The Haunting of Sharon Tate. A TV miniseries aired in 1976 brought the murders into millions of American homes. So, with a plethora of material out there detailing the murders, Manson and his ‘family’, can a new sex-part docuseries shed any new light on the topic? The Epix premium channel hopes so as it debuts Helter Skelter: An American Myth, which includes interviews with some surviving members of the Manson family who were not involved in the murders.

I’ve been around long enough to know something about the murders but not many of the details or deep dives into the psyche of Manson (who died in 2017), so while some may not find anything new to add to the story, I was fascinated by the first episode’s look into Manson and his group before the murders. I knew of a tenuous connection to The Beach Boys as well but not the details. All of that is laid out in the premiere.

What I found most surprising is that Manson aspired to be a recording artist and the episode includes several recordings of his songs, apparently done as a favor to Beach Boy Dennis Wilson. Wilson had met some of the ‘family’, who were living at an old movie ranch, and invited them to come live at the guest house on his estate. Wilson also pulled in some favors and had music executives record Manson and hopefully consider him for a recording contract. I have to say, Manson was not a bad singer at all but no one would give him the time of day, which makes one consider that had some record label not considered him a joke (and hippy, free love persona may have been what turned off the suits) and signed him to a contract, would those murders have never happened?

But Manson’s frustration began to wear on the relationship with Wilson, who at one point swapped places with the ‘family, allowing them to move into his house while he stayed in the guest house. Eventually, Wilson had to go on tour with The Beach Boys so it was the perfect opportunity for him to have someone else tell Manson they all had to leave. They did and returned to the ranch.

All of this was happening at a volatile time in America with race riots breaking out in Los Angeles, something that’s very jarring and eerie to see as it correlates to the events that have been happening around the country 50 years later. Manson had latched on to The Beatles White Album, which he played for the family, and particularly the song ‘Helter Skelter’ which he claimed told of the white man being subjugated by the Blacks. As Manson took his family deeper into the desert and arming them, it seems Manson was preparing to confront the coming race war and that is what most of the history on the Manson family has concluded. But according to one of the family members interviewed in the documentary, that is not true at all.

The first episode of Helter Skelter: An American Myth uses a treasure trove of archival footage from the era, including photographs and audio recordings. There is a lengthy section about an actor named Bobby Beausoleil who was curious about the family but not curious enough to join them … until he finally was swayed to become one of them. Beausoleil is heard in newly recorded audio describing his time with Manson, and as the story progresses it’s clear why he wasn’t available to be filmed in person. Interspersed with the archival footage are dramatic reenactments to help fill in the gaps and give us a little more visual context to the narration and commentary. The first episode includes sx-family members Dianne Lake, Catherine Share and Stephanie Schram, author Ivor Davis, songwriter Gregg Jakobson, singer Johnny Echols, investigative journalist Jeff Guinn, and cousin of Manson victim Gary Hinman, Kay Hinman Martley.

The episode offers some interesting new insights, like Manson’s musical aspirations, and is sure to bring this horrific event to light for an entirely new generation. Where the rest of the series will lead, and what other new revelations it contains remains to be seen.

Helter Skelter: An American Myth airs Sundays at 10:00 PM on Epix.

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