‘Whatever is necessary to do, you do it … And you kill whoever gets in your way.’ Manson: The Lost Tapes, Sandy, ITV 2018
This disturbing footage was filmed almost fifty years ago after a series of horrific murders that stunned Hollywood and shocked the world. The murders of Tate who was eight months pregnant and six others took place over two nights of terror in August 1969. They were committed by members of a once peaceful hippy-style cult. The killing spree was masterminded by the group’s leader, 34 year old ex-con Charles Manson. The killers acted under his control. ibid.
In 2017 the tapes were rediscovered after the original filmmakers died. ibid.
In December 1969 Charles Manson was charged with first-degree murder alongside four of the most unlikely killers ever accused: three of them young women. All are members of his cult which is dubbed The Family. ibid.
Manson is charged with seven counts of first degree murder. ibid.
In Los Angeles [1967] Manson starts using his growing band of girls to attract men. ibid.
‘I would have done what he wanted.’ ibid. cult member
The Boogeyman in Chief. Manson: The Lost Tapes II, ITV 2018
On a rundown ranch outside Los Angeles there’s a twisted version of this hippy ideal. Instead of following their free will, they follow their leader, Charles Manson. ibid.
Manson’s family are no longer just followers. He sees them as an army preparing for war. ibid.
On the following night Manson decides the killing spree must continue. ibid.
‘I’m ready to die.’ ibid. follower
In one bizarre demonstration of devotion, Manson’s family shave their heads and weave their hair on to an elaborate waistcoat they plan to give Manson on his release. ibid.
‘We’re in the middle of a Holy War. The Holy War is not a game.’ People Magazine Investigates: Manson Cult, Manson, Discovery 2018
On August 8th 1969 actress Sharon Tate and her house guests gathered for what they thought would be a quiet evening in. What happened that night would terrify the nation for decades to come. But the horrors didn’t stop there. ibid.
At just 14 years old, Dianne becomes the sixth and youngest girl to devote herself to Charles Manson. ibid.
To Manson’s great disappointment, Gary Henman’s murder does not trigger Helter Skelter. ibid.
This began a year ago when Charles Manson – a man thought to be the embodiment of evil – started calling. What do you say to one of the most infamous mass murderers of all time when given the chance. Charles Manson: The Final Words, Discovery 2017
‘I don’t give a fuck about telling my story.’ ibid. Charles Manson
Charles Manson formed a cult called The Manson Family. How did he transition from a chronic petty criminal to a psychotic villain capable of mind control. ibid.
Did he actually brainwash them or were they working alongside him in a common motive? What was life like inside the so-called Manson family in the year leading up to the murders? ibid.
‘I’ve always been by myself, alone.’ ibid.
The twisted tale of one of America’s most despicable criminal minds: Charles Manson, a man whose evil resulted in a series of vicious murders that still haunt the nation’s conscience. Very Scary People: Manson: The Devil’s Work I II, CI 2020
‘So Charlie reinvents himself as a guru, and he has equal parts Dale Carnegie, the Bible and his own prison BS.’ ibid. Jeff Guinn, author
He tries to incite a race riot between blacks and whites he calls Helter Skelter. ibid.
‘Manson sends out three women with Tex Watson to the Tate residence’ … ‘Manson instructs Tex that he’s to go in there and kill everyone in a gory scene.’ ibid. historians
‘I am very mad and I don’t know whether I can control myself.’ ibid. Manson
Charlie had groomed a violent hit-squad within the family. ibid. historian
‘Manson has come to represent the malignant side of humanity. These people enjoyed killing.’ Dateline: The Manson Murders, historian, Sky Crime 2020
Charles Manson stole lives. Stole innocence. And left a city living in fear. You may think you know the Manson story but not like this: ‘He is a very evil sophisticated con man, and he knows exactly what he’s doing.’ ibid.
Then he found a rag-tag group of hippies in search of direction and purpose to follow him. In the end their toxic union would result in a frenzy of unbelievable brutality. ibid.
One of the most notorious figures in criminal history. ibid.
That hot summer night that caught the world utterly unprepared. ibid.
Drugs, orgies, there was no stopping the gossip … Tate’s husband, Roman Polanski, had directed the horror film, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’. The press wondered about a satanic connection. ibid.
The leader was a short scrubby guy and habitual small-time criminal: Charles Manson. ibid.
Manson Guilty, Nixon Declares. ibid. newspaper headline
A career criminal calling himself Jesus convinced his young followers to slaughter innocent victims. Dateline: The Summer of Manson, Sky Crime 2020
By 32 he’d spent half of his life locked up. ibid.
‘He could somehow identify the one who could be tricked, coerced, drawn in.’ ibid. biographer
Shot, stabbed, massacred: In the months it took place to find the murderers, fear and panic spread. Four members of the so-called Manson Family were arrested, convicted and sentenced. Driven into a homicidal frenzy by the crude apocalyptic visions of their guru Charles Manson, they had committed this appalling crime and others. Too Young to Die s1e4: Sharon Tate, Sky 2012
Charles Manson became an evil icon of the twentieth century. The man with a long criminal record who could hardly read or write and who saw himself as Jesus and Satan in one person still has followers today. ibid.
London had a new celebrity romance … The couple [Tate & Polanski] were a sensation … They ignored conventions and enjoyed life. ibid.
Sharon’s next roll earned her a Golden Globe nomination: Valley of the Dolls. ibid.
The 13 Chairs was a highly promising comedy to be filmed in London and in Rome. ibid.
She was set on having the baby at home. ibid. director
If I fall off [horse] wrong and I sprain my wrist or I twist my ankle now that can put an undue burden on production ’cause maybe I can’t work for a week so, Cliff here is meant to help carry the load. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2019 starring Leonardo diCaprio & Brad Pitt & Margot Robbie & Emile Hirsch & Margaret Qualley & Timothy Olyphant & Julia Butters & Austin Butler & Dakota Fanning & Bruce Dern & Mike Moh & Luke Perry & Damian Lewis & Al Pacino et al, director Quentin Tarantino, interview on set with stunt double
Anybody order fried sauerkraut? ibid. hero with flamethrower
The dude killed his fucking wife … She doesn’t want his creepy arse around. ibid.
So you gotta do this playacting pattycake version. ibid. Bruce Lee
I unleash all my power. I kill people. ibid.
You’re a little man with a big mouth and a big chip, and I think you should be embarrassed to suggest you’d be anything more than a stain on the seat of Cassius Clay’s trunks. ibid. Cliff
Nobody beat the shit out of Bruce. It was a friendly contest. He barely touched me. ibid. Bruce Lee
Is he here now? So George gave you all permission to be here? And yawl take care of him. ibid. Cliff
One step closer and I will knock his teeth out. ibid. to advancing ladies
When you come to the end of the line with a buddy who is more than a brother and a little less than a wife, getting blind drunk together is really the only way to say farewell. ibid.
At around ten Sharon and her friends left El Coyote and arrived back at her house. ibid.
Dirty fucking hippies. ibid. Ricky
Just outside Los Angeles a group of hippies living on an abandoned movie set called Spahn Ranch are planning a terrible end to peace and love. Serial Killers s1e5: Manson, Channel 5 1999
Manson Guilty Nixon Declares. ibid. Los Angeles front page