Note: I am not giving a star rating to PINK FLAMINGOS, because stars simply seem not to apply. It should be considered not as a film but as a fact, or perhaps as an object. --Roger Ebert’s review of John Waters’ Pink Flamingos

This quote kept running through my head as I watched Manson Family Movies. How do you review a film like this? It seems to defy criticism because it eschews all accepted principles of cinema. What can I say beyond acknowledging the fact that it exists and, for better or worse, achieves what it sets out to do?

The plot, as far as this film has plot and as far as it can be explained, boils down to this: Manson Family Movies is presented as an insider’s look at the most infamous events in the life of the cult that surrounded Charles Manson.

The film depicts, in documentary fashion, everything about Manson family life, from idyllic sexual experimentation at the Spahn Ranch to the infamous murders committed by the family.

Again, there’s really nothing at all to describe that wouldn’t turn into a point-by-point rundown of the acts committed by the Manson Family, and yet I’m not really sure how I can respond to the film, either. It wasn’t intended for me, I know that much. This is a gift from enthusiast to enthusiast, a mad love-letter I could never hope to understand. The entire film is silent, as befitting home movies; and while this adds to the atmosphere, it also completely excludes those not in the know. This is a film of crazed purpose, and it expects you to keep up with it. If you can’t, too bad.

Yet it’s this very drive that is the film’s saving grace. About 20 minutes in, I began thinking that if I didn’t start to understand things soon, I’d have to start fast-forwarding. Somehow, though, I never did. Despite the fact that I generally had little idea what was going on, the film continued to involve me simply because of the obsession that was so clear in its creation. I guess, if nothing else, Manson Family Movies is a testament to the idea that if you do something with enough passion, it will almost always be watchable.

Indeed, this principle helps Manson overcome basically all of its failings. In addition to being quite difficult to follow without an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the Manson cult, the film also suffers from a constantly shifting cast, some rather unconvincing special effects, and a variety of other shortcomings. Nevertheless, it somehow overcomes all of them. The obsessive drive so clearly behind the film makes the issue of several (sometimes up to three) actors playing the same part from scene to scene seem perfectly fine: the film is aware enough of what it wants or crazy enough that it doesn’t matter who’s playing whom—it’s your fault if you can’t accept the casting, whether it’s a transvestite playing the Tates’ maid or three girls playing Sadie. Similarly, despite the fact that, for instance, Sharon Tate’s stomach looks like a beach ball shoved under her shirt and her stabbing is far from convincing, the mood of the scene is nevertheless so clearly conveyed that the effects become irrelevant: we know what they stand for, and that’s enough.

I don’t suppose my review would be complete without a mention of some of the film’s stylistic flourishes. The use of music, for example, is excellent, primarily incorporating songs recorded by members of the Manson Family which really help move the film along. Similarly, sound effects are employed in very interesting ways during key scenes: the Tates’ maid screaming, for example, is represented by wildly blaring brass. Similarly, a few key lines of dialogue are inserted via hand-drawn intertitles that perfectly match the mood of the film.

While all of these elements are good and I can respect the passion behind the film, I still don’t know whether I can exactly recommend MFM, which brings me back to my opening quote. My point is that this film is what it is in a way that almost thumbs its nose at cinema. It’s definitely not for everyone; and while I didn’t hate it, I can’t really say I liked it, either. If you’re a Manson buff, you might have enough knowledge to make this a worthwhile viewing for you; however, all others had better use their best judgment. If you’re interested in underground and experimental filmmaking, Manson Family Movies might be worth your while, but just go in knowing that it will probably be unlike anything you’ve ever seen before (outside of a college film class).

As for the DVD, Cult Epics has done a good job on this one. The film itself, presented in its original full frame aspect ratio, looks like shit—it’s covered in scratches and looks very aged—, but that’s exactly how it’s supposed to look. This is supposed to seem like a found film, and the transfer lends it exactly the stuff-film-ish quality that it needs to work. A crystal-clear transfer would have killed this movie, so it was an excellent decision on Cult Epics’ part to release it as is.

As for extras, things are limited, but there are some choice bonuses included here. An extremely brief gallery of crime scene photos doesn’t really contribute much to the package, but 14 minutes of outtakes (which are more like deleted scenes) are a very interesting bonus indeed. Since these, like the movie, were shot silent, they are accompanied by commentary by the film’s director, who explains why they were cut and what they consist of. Much of the footage consists of the family’s trip to the desert following the murders, along with some extensions of scenes in the movie and a surprising bit of hardcore fellatio that definitely caught me off guard.

Video bonuses wrap up with a 30-minute interview with Charles Manson himself that I’ll admit to skipping. The 10-minute interview that accompanied the DVD release of Jim Van Bebber’s The Manson Family was enough to convince me that I didn’t need more of the actual Charles Manson in my life. If I ever again feel the need to hear paranoid ranting and conspiracy theories, I’ll just turn on “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Finally, things wrap up with a feature-length commentary by the film’s director, John Aes-Nihil. Speaking in a measured yet slightly numbing cadence, he limits his speech to basically narrating what’s going on, which, for the first time in DVD history, actually makes for an interesting commentary, since I had no idea what was going on just watching the movie by itself. While it would have been nice to hear a little background on the film—I have no idea who the director is, why he made this movie, who the people in it are, etc.—the commentary is nevertheless still very helpful and therefore very interesting.

Anyway, in the end, I’m still not quite sure what to say. Manson Family Movies is a stylishly-constructed and intensely personal account of the crimes committed by the Manson Family. It’s certainly not for everyone and I’m not quite sure it was even for me, but I nevertheless couldn’t avoid finding it compelling on some level, if simply because of its drive. This film accomplishes what it wants on its own terms, for better or for worse. Make of that what you may.