I'm a horror fan. I have a pretty high tolerance for gore, violence, and disturbing material. I have seen practically every movie made on the subject of Charles Manson. That being said, I was completely disgusted by this revolting, over the top, horrific "film" that really should be classified under snuff p*rn. The violence, nudity, and gore is continuously shoved down your throat in an attempt to shock and repulse you. In my opinion this is the product of a talentless director that is so obviously leaning on the shock value in order to compensate for his lack of artistic point of view. This crappola is such an insulting and degrading exploit of the people who were involved and who died. I barely finished watching it and promptly broke it in half and threw it away (wouldnt even look at the second disc). If you like to watch this kind of crap and on a human level NOT be disgusted and disturbed that, not only are we capable of horrendous acts like this, but some one wants to film it and make money off of it in the name of "entertainment", there's something seriously wrong with you. I guess thats who this sh*t is geared toward.

This unflinching flick, nearly 15 years in the making, can hardly be called entertaining by most standards. Instead, Jim Van Bebber has created a flick that reanimates the essence of the stupidity and horror that the disciples of Charley have effected upon the world. The Family's reign of terror is all the more horrifying by account of its random and senseless motivations. The story itself will alienate all but the most ardent of movie fans, those that can see through the ostensibly bad in order to extract the true grit of Van Bebber's intent, which was to tell the story through the eyes of the Family. The acting was at times amateurish, but set upon its chaotic backdrop does not detract from the import of this film. The directing and camera work are MTV on psychedelics intense. For those prudish types stay away, for the leverage of nudity and animalistic gore have tipped the scales and reveal this flick to be on the doorsteps of rated X-ville. A difficult film to recommend, for those interested in the grim fringe of cinema, this might find a receptive audience.Genruk of Evil Eye Reviews

Manson Family, The (2003) *** (out of 4) A fake documentary by director Jim Van Bebber about the times of Charles Manson (Marcelo Games) and what led to his imprisonment. It too the director nearly fifteen years to complete this film because he had trouble getting funding but this actually helps the film because it makes the Manson footage look older than what it actually is so there's no problem getting into the "documentary" type feel. We've heard the Manson story countless times but this film looks at the infamous murders in a different way. We see the murders through the eyes of the people who thought that these killings were the right thing to do. The film is unlike any other film I've ever seen and that's what makes it so interesting. I was somewhat familiar with the story but I couldn't even blink my eyes during the movie, although some of the brutal murders made me want to turn my head away yet I couldn't. I can't say I enjoyed watching this film but I think Roger Ebert hit it perfectly with this quote from his review: We come to the question of a star rating. Convention requires me to assign stars to every film. Do I give "The Manson Family" four stars because it does what it does so successfully and uncompromisingly, or do I give it zero stars, for the same reason? I will settle on three, because it is remarkable enough I do not want to dismiss it. That doesn't mean I think you should see it.Everyone knows the story of the infamous two murders but what the director does with them here is downright shocking, vile, deranged and in the end very, very sad. The director doesn't hold back on the killings and he shows us in graphic detail the brutality of the crimes, which was very hard to watch. Thankfully the director cuts away from the Tate murder but her pleas for her unborn child gets the message across. The Manson Family is an incredibly strong piece of work but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone. The way it was made in its cheapness adds a lot to the story and the director never blinks with the story. As Ebert said, I could give this four stars since it did what it was meant to. I'm just not sure I'll ever want to see it again.

Jim VanBebber brings a refreshing 70's exploit-film quality to even his most recent endeavors. His films are often hit-or-miss (even within a single film...) but I do like his "style".THE MANSON FAMILY is basically VanBebber's retelling of the Manson Family and their activities, leading up to the Tate-LaBianca murders. Nothing that you haven't already seen/heard about, except for some good ol' sleazy sex scenes and some exceptionally gruesome murder re-enactments...VanBebber doesn't really bring much new to the table in his retelling - except for his style, which was enough to keep me interested. Not a "great" film by any means, but apparently relatively "accurate" based on what I know of the Family and their crimes. VanBebber throws in a weird side-story about a bunch of Charlie-obsessed teens that doesn't necessarily need to be there - but most of his films have a kind of disjointed quality that I guess I've become used to. If you want to see a more "graphic" and exploitive Manson Family film, rife with tits, ass, and gore - this is the one for you...7.5/10