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“Manson’s Lost Girls” follows Linda as she first arrives at the seemingly idyllic Spahn Ranch hippie commune where she is embraced with open arms but reluctantly becomes an accomplice in Manson’s “Helter Skelter,” a drug-fueled murder spree that included the brutal death of actress Sharon Tate. She ultimately breaks away and turns herself in as a witness for the prosecution and helps to convict Manson.
It’s been almost 47 years since the murders orchestrated by Charles Manson took place in California. For anyone under the age of 60 to know about these crimes, and understand the shock of them, requires a passing down of the story told in a different voice and perspective than it’s ever had before. “Manson’s Lost Girls” focuses on the women of the Manson compound. The story forms from the memories and perspective of MacKenzie Mauzy’s character Linda Kasabian. The other central actors in the telling are Leslie Van Houten (Greer Grammer), Susan Atkins (Eden Brolin), and Tex Watson (Christian Madsen).
“Manson’s Lost Girls” is unique in that it tells the Manson story through the eyes of the one person involved who didn’t commit any of the murders. In her late teens, Linda Kasabian joins the Manson cult with her toddler daughter after a falling out with her husband. The story unfolds through her memories in a retrospective fashion. The psychedelic summer of 1969 comes to life and is vividly portrayed as Linda first meets “the family” at the seemingly idyllic Spahn Ranch hippie commune.
Seduced by the group’s free-love lifestyle, Linda revels in a profound sense of sisterhood and acceptance. She is especially taken with Manson, who’s charismatic and accepting behavior soon twist and distort into the psychopath that history now knows him to be.
Once Linda becomes an accomplice in what Manson calls “Helter Skelter,” a drug-fueled murder spree that included the brutal death of actress Sharon Tate and her unborn child, Linda breaks away and turns herself in as a witness for the prosecution. Her testimony helps lead to the conviction of Manson and his followers for the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders.
The Lifetime network has greenlit this incredibly dynamic original movie from Asylum Entertainment. Written by Matthew Tabak and Stephen Kronish, directed by Leslie Libman and produced by Steven Michaels, Jonathan Koch and Nancy Bennett.
It is absolutely one not to be missed. The direction, set design, costume design, and cinematography are as much a part of the success of “Manson’s Lost Girls” as the stellar acting and characterizations offered to us from the film’s cast. In scenes where the women are gathered around a campfire sharing who they are and what brought them into “the family,” an understanding of what loneliness and poor self esteem can bring a person too, unfolds.
Deep, complex and developed characterizations of Linda, Leslie and Manson kept me involved throughout the story. However, although perfectly filmed, acted and produced, this is not a family-friendly show. Due to open drug use, explicit sexuality and violent murder scenes, parental discretion is highly advised.
“Manson’s Lost Girls” will air on Saturday, February 6th at 8/7c on Lifetime
