Recent true crime watch. Given the over-saturation that the subject has received, and the fact that Manson himself is now dead, I didn't think there would be much new to say about it. That said, this six-part documentary series from 2020 would have to rate as one of the most thorough and involving on the subject that I have ever seen. While there may not be much in the way of new information, especially for anyone who has studied or read extensively about the case, the six-hour running time gives HELTER SKELTER: AN AMERICAN MYTH the time it needs to cover aspects of the case in a more in-depth way, facets which are usually dismissed within a few seconds in other docos, if they are even mentioned at all. And there is a lot of incredible archival footage which I don't recall ever seeing before, including original television and radio broadcasts, which really unnerve and help give a palpable sense of just how shocking the whole event was at the time, and the fear which gripped the area in its wake, changing LA irrevocably in so many ways. Pity they couldn't pick a more original name for the documentary, to try and differentiate itself from all the other HELTER SKELTER movies and docos out there, but I guess it is the phrase most recognizable to the mainstream.
