Just when you thought you’d had enough Charlie Manson films to last a lifetime, there are two releases for 2019. The Haunting of Sharon Tate and Charlie Says released in the same year. While “Charlie Says” is the better movie, hands down, you might not have seen either and worried that you’ll be wasting your time. The first half of this review will be dedicated to talking about Farrands’ film The Haunting of Sharon Tate so let’s get into that one first.
First of all, while The Haunting of Sharon Tate is not great in terms of quality, I didn’t hate it as much as most. This is not just a reenactment and I think writer/director Daniel Farrands had a bigger picture in mind when he made it. I liked the way the story is tipped and instead of just concentrating on the murder, it makes it something more. Instead of just telling the story of Manson and his followers Farrands dare to create his own version of events.
A New Spin on Helter Skelter
Through flashbacks of real news footage from 1969 Farrands falls back on his style as a documentary maker. The scripting contains droplets of information surrounding the bizarre and coincidental domino effect of Manson’s relationships with people in Hollywood. Given the title contains the word haunting, I doubt Farrands expected audiences to let out a shout of shocked surprise at the final quarter’s twist. The ending scenes might be what some consider trashy but I liked it and it’s where the two films have a point of similarity. Both show an alternate dream-like sequence of what might have happened if a pivotal character had made a different choice.
- Director & writer Daniel Farrands Released in April 2019. DVD & Blu-ray in May 2019. Produced by Skyline Entertainment and distributed by GEM Entertainment and Saban Films.
Where Did Hillary Duff Go Right?
What I am surprised with is how much I hated Duff’s performance. Hillary was the wrong choice here. Not only that, but her accent was on and off the entire movie. Her narration felt very unnatural and she often took me out of the moment of tension that had been built up because I just didn’t believe her. Like I said earlier, I actually like her as an actress. I even liked her in the hit series Gossip Girl. Now I’m thinking she should stick to singing.
There were some shady-looking special effects and some ‘interesting’ choices in cinematography. For example, the prosthetic pregnancy belly was kept poking out of her clothes in some scenes. Overall though, I liked how the narrative was constructed.
I give The Haunting of Sharon Tate
2.5 what if’s out of 5
Charlie Says
Next, Charlie Says. As I said earlier, this one was my favorite of the two movies. There are some massive differences that make this film from IFC Midnight one you should watch. The cast is worth a mention because all of the key players are amazing. Suki Waterhouse, Hannah Murray, Annabeth Gish, Matt Smith, Chace Crawford, and the list goes on and on. Smith who plays Manson in this film inspired by a book by Karlene Faith and Ed Sanders is simply compelling. The screenplay was scribed by Guinevere Turner who was responsible for the film American Psycho (2000.)
Who plays Charles Manson in Charlie says?
- Suki Waterhouse (The Bad Batch 2016)
- Hannah Murray (Game of Thrones)
- Annabeth Gish (The Haunting of Hill House)
- Matt Smith (Doctor Who) plays Charlie Manson in Charlie Says
- Chace Crawford (Eloise 2016)
- Socie Bacon (Aquarius)
- Merritt Wever (The Walking Dead)
- Marianne Rendon (Imposters)
Look At Your Game Girl
Oddly here, Manson does not take a front seat at all during the 2-hour run time. It’s what is left out of this film that makes it so good and to be honest, we all know the Charlie Manson story. This one also covers more of the side of Manson as a wanna-be musician and between the two films, you really get a blow by blow of that side of the tale.
‘Charlie Says’ doesn’t shy away from the violence here either which is similar to most movies that cover this notorious figure. But while many of the narratives in the past concentrate on the stalking of his victims, ‘Charlie Says’ shows more of the orchestrational side of Charlie’s methods. The film manages to show just how irrationally reactive his directives were and how easy it was for him to get what he wanted. And, even though both films utilize showing the killings off-camera, this film does it with more style.
This is a movie that somehow manages to tell the story of Manson girls. How they ended up where they were, where they are now, and what‘s happening in the present day— it’s all touched on.
It’s easy to say I certainly didn’t garner any more empathy for the deeds of these women than I did prior to seeing the film. I did, however, gain a little more insight into how it all transpired.
I give Charlie Says
4.5 killer fairies out of 5
Fan of movies & Television inspired by real events?
- Only Mine, on Netflix
- The Clovehitch Killer (BTK killer)
- Trailer for ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile’ With Ted Bundy (Ted Bundy)
- Australian Classic Horror ‘The Clinic’ 2010 (Baby Farms)
- Mindhunter 2017 and Other Shows You Might be Missing
- Australian Horror Movies— People Who Hunt People
I found this article that covers the connections to Melcher if anyone’s keen.
👉 Charles Manson Article
