Manson Family Movies

This 1984 staging of Manson Family arcana was mounted by John Aes-Nihil, whose dedication to fringe cultures and unabashed appreciation of mayhem is presumably behind this obsessively detailed recreation of the Family, shot to look as though they made it themselves. Those familiar with the case will notice the inclusion of trivial minutiae that gives witness to the exhaustive research behind the film, while the faux-home movie idea itself stems from a legend that the family stole camera equipment for their own use. The story has never been verified by actual home movies, so Aes-Nihil imagines what they might be like. The result feels disturbingly apt, shot entirely on Super-8 at the actual locations of the Family's life and crimes, including Spahn Ranch, the Tate Gate, the La Bianca House, and more. MANSON FAMILY MOVIES is completely silent, while actual music by the Manson Family accompanies chillingly realistic effects.