Horror Queen

THE PLOT

Two reporters are in the middle of making a documentary of the Manson Family and in turn the murders they completed. The film jumps around from faux interviews with Manson members to the same people in the present day, but with a real life documentary type feel. At the same time, a new group is readying themselves for a new murderous spree.

THE GOOD

I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. The old time feel to the interviews was a nice touch, as was the flashbacks and current views from the same characters. I also liked how the family members were still denying “Charlie’s” involvement even after years had passed. The effects used to age the film was also a nice touch. I have to admit that I ended up watching this without taking a break, even though I had to use the bathroom pretty bad at one point. It was better than I expected and you can’t go wrong with that.

You should also keep an eye on the killing scenes, particularly those towards the end of the film. These were significantly more graphic than those from other movies on the life and times of Manson. I even found myself wincing a few times, which is something I don’t do very often.

I also loved some of the makeup effects in the movie, particularly when anyone had horns. Granted there weren’t a ton of those scenes in the flick, but I enjoyed them nonetheless.

THE BAD

Yes I understand that there was some need for the B-storyline here, but I could have done without it. The other group/new group weren’t people I cared about and I kept forgetting they were even part of the movie and then they’d pop back up. It made for a nice, gory ending but like I said, I could have done without it.

The nudity wasn’t a big deal for me, but I could see how it could be a problem for some. My 16-20 year old cousins would probably balk at the nudity in this movie as would my 62 year old mother, but if you’ve seen any amount of horror movies, it shouldn’t be a problem. I do want to point out how unlike Charles Manson the man playing him is, but so much crap has been written about this online already that I don’t need to add to it.

FUN TRIVIA

James Van Bebber is the genius behind several movies that people keep telling me to watch like Deadbeat at Dawn. Myself, I’m intrigued by the fact that he was born in nearby Greenville, Ohio which isn’t conducive to creativity.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Like I said before, this movie was better than I expected. It’s an interesting take on the Manson murders with more than enough violence and nudity to thrill the fans. If however you’re expecting a serious documentary on the murders, keep on looking. I’ve heard this movie is a little hard to come by and I’ve checked at local video places and they don’t carry it in stock. Put in a little time and you won’t be disappointed.