Well, not exactlyand in part thanks to that miniseries.

Films with a Mansonian angle (Deathmaster,I Drink your Blood) were rushed into production.

He can deny it all he wants, but no ones gonna believe him.

Given how early this was, that may explain a lot.

And you sure gotta give Howard credit for trying.

So I had big hopes for the follow-up.

As they tell the story in flashback, the host starts receiving bizarre threats from modern day Manson cultists.

In a perfect world, this couldve been a story with hints ofRashomonthat worked on three levels.

In fact, at heart its really a pretty extreme softcore film with a few ultraviolent interludes.

What bugs me is that so much of the film is a hodgepodge of material lifted from other sources.

the interviewees recreate interviews verbatim from Robert Hendricksons 1973 documentaryManson(see below).

Its a Stations of the Cross for the morbid and bloodthirsty crowd.

Did we need an interview with the doctor who now lives in Sebrings old house?

Michaels, you might say, is a touch fixated.

Because of that, you might want to do your research before slapping this one in.

Still, I learned a few things I didnt know before.

Not that it was anything I really needed to know.

Even if you werent a morbid 10-year-old, it was a big deal.

Several major cities refused to air it at all.

Its a police and courtroom procedural told from Bugliosis perspective.

And oh, how he hates that Miranda ruling!

And then theres Charlie (Steve Railsback).

He doesnt get a lot of screen time, but when hes around, hes magnetic.

Of course it may be in the film because thats what Railsback prepared for his audition.

Its still a reasonably accurate recounting told from a crazy fame-starved assholes perspective.

And I dont mean Charlie.

Its just too bad the soundtrack had to rely on some dreadful, tepid Beatles covers.

Then boom, he explains his Helter Skelter/race war idea.

Then boom, theres are the murders.

Then boom, Manson explains his dune buggy army.

Then boom, we see that Manson has psychic powers.

You get the idea.

Its like they had a damn checklist.

He almost pulls it off too.

In the middle of the story.

Well, no big loss, right?

Theres nothing new here.

Even with those few things they get right, theres nothing that hasnt been done better elsewhere.

Except maybe those Beatles covers, which were keen.

And then theres good ol Bugliosi again.

Theres not much new here, and they adhere closely to the accepted mythology.

All that comes together inDemon Brother.

The two had a falling out and Beausoleil allegedly stole the film, burying it in Death Valley.

In 69, Anger took the leftover scraps ofLucifer Risingfootage and pieced them together intoDemon Brother.

Its a prescient look at the mindset and the times, and accidentally says more than it meant to.

Anger and Beausoleil later reconciled, and Beausoleil recorded the score to Angers second version ofLucifer Risingfrom prison.

Anger had to get another actor to play the lead though.

While doing that he plays into the demon role on occasion, but always with a smirk.

Plus, you get that great Joe Coleman portrait of Charlie on the cover.

It was also director Robert Hendricksons only film until his 2007 follow-up,Inside the Manson Gang.

Still, its a fascinating doc made without the interference of hindsight.

Its a point well-taken, considering they conduct the interviews while holding rifles.

For its flaws, it remains a remarkable record of the time.