Charlie Says

Charlie Says takes you inside the inner-workings of the Manson Family.

I was an adult in 1969 when the Manson Family committed the Tate-LaBianca murders – big news everywhere.

I read Vince Bugliosi’s bestseller Helter Skelter as soon as it came out in 1974.

Over the last 50 years I’ve watched dozens of interviews with Charles Manson and his family members.

Based on all that input – I find the 2018 movie Charlie Says ringing true – it takes you behind the curtain and into the world of the Manson Family.

To creation and recruitment – drug programming, sexual subordination, and brainwashing – to the planning and commission of both the Sharon Tate murders and the LaBianca murders – to the incarceration on Death Row of Leslie Van Houten, Pat Krenwinkel, and Susan Atkins.

August 8, 1969 – Manson’s pawn Tex Watson led Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, and Pat Krenwinkel to “totally destroy” everyone and to make it “as gruesome as possible.”

That quartet of freaks murdered actress Sharon Tate – more than eight months pregnant with Roman Polanski’s child – and left her slashed body on the living room floor.

They also murdered Tate’s former lover & Hollywood hairstylist Jay Sebring – aspiring screenwriter Wojciech Frykowski – coffee heiress Abigail Folger – and innocent bystander Stephen Parent.

Sharon Tate invited Steve McQueen to the house that night – but McQueen’s girlfriend talked him into staying home and getting it on instead – lucky guy.

But Manson was displeased with what went down.

So the next night he took Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, Pat Krenwinkel – plus Leslie Van Houten and Clem Grogan – for a ride.

He drove then to the home of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary.

He was going to show them how to do it right.

Manson led Watson, Krenwinkel, and Van Houten into the home – ordered them to rouse the sleeping couple – bind them –and cover their heads with pillows – then Manson left them alone to carry out the mayhem.

He then drove Atkins, Kasabian, and Grogan to Venice Beach to kill actor Lebanese Saladin Nader – but Linda Kasabian led them to the wrong house.

How could this manipulating, lying, pipsqueak punk recruit anyone with a brain? – Hello LSD.

I’m America’s Best Crime Writer

and I approve this message.

Warner Books published Born to Be Wild in 1992 & it still sells every day at Amazon & Kindle. True story about certain members of the Warlocks motorcycle gang.

The story takes 21 years to play out – with many twists & turns – an amalgam of Sons of Anarchy & Breaking Bad – but these outlaw bikers make the Sons look like Cub Scouts.