‘CHAOS: The Manson Murders’ Review: Errol Morris’ Manson Documentary Gets Lost in the Fog of Conspiracy

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I am among those individuals who find Charles Manson’s story consistently intriguing. There have been numerous movies, documentaries, and dramatizations about him. Add to that the variety of TV specials, both high-profile and sensationalist, the interviews with his followers like Tex Watson and Patricia Krenwinkel, and the extensive interviews with Manson himself, such as the one conducted by Tom Snyder in 1981 (“Stay off the space shuttle, Charles!”) or the one with Charlie Rose in 1986. Books too, from Ed Sanders’ “The Family” to Jeff Guinn’s “Manson” to Vincent Bugliosi’s “Helter Skelter,” which holds the record as the best-selling crime book ever (seven million copies).

The story of Manson has been thoroughly investigated from various perspectives. However, I remain receptive to any fresh insights that might illuminate its mysteries. Therefore, I decided to watch “CHAOS: The Manson Murders,” a recent Netflix documentary by Errol Morris, known for films like “The Fog of War” and “The Thin Blue Line.” With a mix of skepticism and anticipation, I approached this production, thinking: If it’s from such an esteemed director, there must be something novel here. Or else, why make it? But the question remains: Is there truly anything new to uncover?

The film ‘CHAOS’ emits a soft, contemporary documentary-style glow reminiscent of archival finds, featuring photographs I’ve never encountered before that depict the locations of the Manson crime scenes. Occasionally, there are off-kilter shots of mutilated bodies, along with pictures of the blood-scrawled messages (“death to pigs”), but predominantly, it shows the ordinary nature of these places prior to the violent acts, as if they were quietly anticipating the tragedy.”

“‘CHAOS’ has a unique, contemporary documentary-style glow that feels like an archival discovery, showcasing unfamiliar photographs of the Manson crime scene locations. The images range from oblique shots of mutilated bodies and blood-written messages (‘death to pigs’), to scenes of ordinary, pre-violent environments—almost as if these rooms were silently awaiting the horrific events.

A more contemporary element in the film compared to its photographs is the art-grunge style Morris incorporates throughout. “CHAOS” features fast-paced punk graphics reminiscent of coffee table books, and various details such as time-lapse footage of mescaline cactus flowers, close-ups of squirming maggots (to depict the story about how maggots were audible when police found Gary Hinman’s body a week later), psychedelic imagery similar to that seen in Kenneth Anger’s films, grisly photographs of blood-stained floors resembling Nan Goldin’s works, and images with black-and-white backdrops but red accents or duplicates for a Warhol Confidential effect. The entire movie is crafted to appear as an artifact of crime with a sickening aesthetic.

The film appears to have an intriguing allure, however, let’s make things crystal clear: This is primarily a stylistic nod to Manson. What sets this apart is its focus on an interview with Tom O’Neill, the author of “CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties.” The film delves into a captivating conspiracy theory regarding the Manson story. Specifically, it aims to shed light on the enigma surrounding the Manson saga’s darkest and most perplexing aspect – how the individuals who committed the murders, the so-called “Manson family” members including the four “girls” and Tex Watson (who was primarily responsible), could have been influenced and driven to such brutal acts, seemingly against their will.

It’s widely understood that these are the facts of the situation, and we’re also aware of the legends that have emerged around it. The popular narrative paints Manson as a cunning street con artist who manipulated the emerging youth culture to transform himself into a perverse imitation of a hippie cult leader. He employed tactics akin to a pimp, combined with intense doses of LSD, to erode the self-confidence of his followers, and he spun his “Helter Skelter” theory (an anticipated apocalyptic uprising against middle-class white “authorities,” led by Black revolutionaries) as if it were a demonic creed. His followers became true believers, willing to do anything for him without question.

However, Tom O’Neill believes there are gaps in this sequence of events. He intends to plug those gaps, as he harbors a particular theory about it. This fellow certainly has ideas! The catch is that he lacks concrete evidence; instead, his beliefs are more like intuitions. Yet, he’s ready to present these gut feelings as the crucial missing pieces of the puzzle.

In 1999, journalist Dan O’Neill, who previously worked in entertainment reporting, was tasked by Premiere magazine to explore how the Tate-LaBianca murders impacted Hollywood. Instead, he found himself delving deep into a mysterious topic. At the heart of O’Neill’s hypothesis is the idea that he has uncovered a method to link the Manson killings with the covert dark side of the CIA. He believes he can weave this infamous episode of extreme violence into a narrative about…the establishment, or ‘The Man’.

O’Neill’s primary interest lies in the covert CIA operation, MKUltra, which began in 1953 and persisted for two decades. Due to its sensitive nature, most records of it were wiped out in 1973. MKUltra served as the Agency’s exploration into mind control, primarily using hallucinogenic drugs, with many university research centers unknowingly participating. The LSD experiments covered various aspects, but one significant angle was the CIA’s curiosity about whether they could create programmed assassins using LSD. This concept, a blend of behavior modification and science fiction, was quite popular during that era (it’s vividly depicted in the 1962 Hollywood thriller “The Manchurian Candidate”). So, one might say there was a degree of overlap between the CIA’s activities in its secretive bases and Charles Manson’s actions with his sermons and drug-fueled events at Spahn Ranch. However, the question remains: Was there a literal link between them?

Manson’s story reaches this point in 1967, when he was freed from prison. He breached his parole by moving to San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district and immersing himself in its counterculture. This is where he began amassing followers who would eventually form his cult. Manson frequently visited the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic, primarily because several of his female companions contracted sexually transmitted diseases. However, it’s important to note that the CIA also had an office there. A psychiatrist named Louis “Jolly” West, who was heavily involved with the MKUltra project and infamous for interviewing Jack Ruby, Lee Harvey Oswald’s assassin, just before Ruby’s trial, used this clinic to recruit subjects for his studies on LSD and youth. He referred to it as a “research facility disguised as a hippie hangout.

However, there’s no confirmed encounter between West and Manson, as O’Neill hasn’t discovered any evidence or testimonies proving they were together. Still, he has a strong intuition that Manson might have picked up his mind-control methods from the CIA.

Instead of relying on concrete proof, Morris incorporates numerous digressions into his documentary, suggesting fresh discoveries and perspectives – for example, delving into Manson’s music career and the possibility that Charlie nearly secured a recording contract. Notably, through his friendship with Dennis Wilson, a Manson song titled “Cease to Exist” is featured on the Beach Boys’ 1969 album “20/20”. It’s worth noting that Manson had a strong, captivating singing voice that could potentially have led him to achieve success beyond his one hit.

As a movie reviewer, I find myself reflecting on the chilling story behind the infamous Charles Manson. Intriguingly, it all began when the music producer Terry Melcher visited Spahn Ranch to hear Charlie’s tunes. Although he appreciated Charlie’s compositions, he was perplexed, stating, “I’m unsure of how to utilize you.” Regrettably for history, this interaction fell just short, and it was this distance that would eventually fuel the tragic Manson murders. The first night of these gruesome events took place at a house Charlie mistakenly believed belonged to Terry Melcher.

However, we’ve encountered similar circumstances previously. In “CHAOS,” Errol Morris navigates the labyrinthine backstreets associated with Manson, delving into the realms of conspiracy theories. There’s a man named Bernard Crowe, who Manson mistakenly believed he had killed after shooting him because Charlie perceived him as a Black Panther. Susan Atkins, one of Manson’s followers and often described as a breathy WASP witch-princess, discusses in an old interview about how she and Tex Watson were heavily under the influence of amphetamines on the night of Sharon Tate’s murder, which may explain why they perceived the gruesome acts as surreal. Furthermore, Bobby Beausoleil, in a recent interview with Morris, suggests that Charlie was so paranoid he believed one of his followers might betray him, so he orchestrated the murders to ensure everyone was too implicated to speak out.

Lastly, Tom O’Neill proposes an intriguing yet controversial idea about Vincent Bugliosi and the “Helter Skelter” theory: that he devised this complex connection between race war, pigs, and the Beatles to create a mythology in the trial (a strategy used since Hitler, where conviction was needed without actual evidence of the crime), was essentially done…for financial gain through book sales. The book “CHAOS” implies that the Manson murders were a carefully planned conspiracy, possibly masterminded by powerful entities like the CIA or the Deep State, or even Nixon himself. I personally find this theory implausible, but it does reflect the unhinged nature of Charles Manson in its essence: sheer madness.

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2025-03-07 06:52