Will You Kill for Me? Charles Manson and His Followers (2008)
*** (out of 4)
This made-for-TV documentary originally aired on MSNBC and is a pretty good look at the murders committed under the watch of Charles Manson. The documentary tries to tell the story of the murders while at the same time asking what power did Manson really have over the people doing the killing. D.A. Vincent Bugliosi, former Manson family member Catherine Share and several other experts on the case all give their opinions on what happened those two nights when the murders were committed as well as trying to figure out what Manson was doing with his teachings and what his grand plan was. There have been countless interviews, documentaries, movies, books and other forms of entertainment based around Manson so if you're familiar with the case then it's doubtful you're going to learn anything new here. With that said, I thought the documentary was well-produced and it did a great job of getting all the evidence together and presenting it. Those wanting answers as to what these animals were thinking before they slaughtered a pregnant woman aren't going to find them here but I suppose we'll never truly know this. The film does a nice job at explaining what it was like during this time when free love was everywhere and the viewer also gets an idea of the type of people Manson was looking for to carry out his visions of "Helter Skelter," The interviews conducted are all entertaining so history buffs interested in the case should be entertained and sickened by the actual events.
