A Manson Family Movie:

Netflix recently released Manson Family Vacation, a film about two brothers visiting sites made famous by the Manson Murders. I haven’t watched this film yet, but the article on TheWrap.com previewing the movie suggests it is probably a movie for me (“an indie comedy”). However, both the article and the IMDB (Internet Movie Database) description suggest this movie is about the two brothers’ relationship, that the inclusion of Manson is just a plot device taken from the directors real life. This prompted me to search if any other movies have been made about the Mansons, and there have been a few, including two based off my book, Helter Skelter. I wonder about these films, if they portray Manson as a charming but murderous cult leader, rather than a glamorized on-screen slasher. The danger of creating films that recreate real-life happenings is that the villains of these stories often get floodings of attention, the public feeds them in some way. I am in no way qualified to talk about this and I’m not really sure what I’m talking about, but I do know there’s a danger to creating films based off murders.

http://www.thewrap.com/manson-family-vacation-jay-duplass-tangerine-oscar/