Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

CarlCarlson before I stopped watching. It would seem he took unused footage (could be considered home movies) and dubbed a lot of his commentary which may or may not have been exaggerated with the aim of making the "Family" seem a lot more sinister than they actually were.This would have been better suited as an extra (with different commentary) on a Manson (1973) documentary re-release. Doesn't shed any information on what already may have been exaggerated and unsaid. In fact, the Charles Manson interviews over the years are much more informative. Perhaps a life behind prison bars documentary/interview, if allowed, may bring more of what formed Charlie or make for an interesting "Where are they now?".

BloedEnMelk in 1973, Hendrickson made one of the best (if not THE best) Manson documentaries ever. Consisting only of real footage and interesting interviews, it gives a great look in the Manson Family, after Manson and the Tate-La Bianca killers were already in prison. It's a definite must-see for all the people who are interested in the case.I do not know why (though I can guess), but Hendrickson has decided to make a second documentary. "Inside the Manson Gang" is the result.In his 1973 movie, the images and interviews speak for themselves. Which makes it a very strong documentary. But in this second one, Hendrickson has decided to narrate the whole thing. And did he really go wrong there! The voice-over goes from annoying to ridiculous. The man can't help his slightly annoying voice, but it's mainly the way he narrates that is at times impossible to take serious. Take comments as: 'This is the room where the family orgies took place. They possibly had a few human sacrifices there too.', include spooky sound effects when nothing happens, and the whole thing is just... well... yes, ridiculous. He tries to make it look like he is in big danger all the time, which is totally nonsense. He puts tension in the documentary where there isn't any, and tries to make the whole thing more sensational. It's totally unnecessary. Thinking back to the original movie, it was chilling enough by itself. Now, with this narrating, it gives me almost the idea that the Manson Family is innocent, as many things are so out of proportion that you would almost just laugh trough it and forget that those people actually really WERE dangerous. So in my eyes, Robert kind of spoiled his own intentions.Aside from that, if you are not familiar with the case, "Inside the Manson Gang" is like one pile of illogical vagueness. There is no real line in it. If you don't already know much about the Manson Family, their people and crimes, I can imagine that on more than one occasion you wonder who is who, what it is they are they talking about, and actually even what this movie is about. Don't I have anything good to say about this movie? Well, yes I do. But that is mainly because for me, with a fascination for the Manson case, it is still interesting enough to look at. Like in the first one, this documentary only exists of real footage, and it's all bits that weren't in the first documentary. Which is something I really liked. We see the guys and girls being busy with their normal lives, doing their stuff, and that is what makes this documentary still worth to watch for the true followers of the Manson case. When I finished watching it, my first conclusion was that Robert Hendrickson went from making one of the best, to one of the worst Manson-related documentaries. I'll still give it a 5 out of 10, but only because of all the never-seen-before material, which is still great to watch.

soundchaser010 Hendrickson's 1973 documentary "Manson" was very good, mainly for its interviews with key family members, and for keeping in mind that it was, precisely, a documentary. For me, this new attempt "Inside the Manson gang" was a huge disappointment. There is some good stuff, most of it looking obviously as unused footage from "Manson", and though it jumps too fast from one situation to another without resolution, it's good to see some outtakes. On the other hand, the riot scenes from anti Vietnam demonstrations seem like fillers. But what really spoils this is the director's voice over narration, who in my opinion treats the audience like idiots by attempting to turn it into a horror movie (music and all). And what's worse, whenever he claims to be in serious danger, nothing ever happens. Stick to the original "Manson" and you'll be OK.

thescabboy This documentary is basically unused footage while Hendrickson was shooting the award winning Manson documentary in the very early 1970's.The documentary takes you from the beginning- right after the Barker Ranch Raid at Spahn Ranch right up after the convictions and penalty phases. Some of the most candid interviews and footage of Manson Family members that we never heard much about as they do daily things around the ranch including bathing, swimming, eating, garbage picking, dancing and playing music with an overdub of director Hendrickson telling you the story of what was going on at the time.During the documentary we get to spend time with people like Bruce Davis, Clem Grogan (both convicted murderers), Mary Brunner, Cappy Gillies, Nancy Pitman, Squeaky, Blue, and some of the lesser known members like Juan Flynn, Rocky Morglea, Mark Ross, and so on.All in all, it was a captivating film with a very ominous tone throughout. Sometimes Hendrickson's narration was a bit annoying, trying to make parks seem more eerie than they were, but it did not take anything away.This is an essential documentary for anyone who followed/follows the Manson case.