The chilling crimes of Charles Manson and his 'family' of crackpots were among the most significant events in late '60s America, helping to bring an end to the hippy era and idealised notions of freedom of expression.
However, when The Manson Familyopens with a shot of delicate flowers being splattered with blood, you can tell from the off that this is a blunt, ham-fisted attempt to bring the fascinating story to the screen.
Blending dramatised interviews with family members, flashbacks to their hippy beginnings, and modern-day sequences featuring a gang of nihilistic metallers who look like Marilyn but idolise Charlie, the film relies on unsettling visual effects and nauseating sequences that hark back to the depravity of 1970s video nasties to try and shock viewers.
But in the end it makes contemporary gore flicks such as House Of 1000 Corpses look like Bergman.