Is real life stranger than fiction? Oftentimes I believe this to be true. What I am certain of is that real life crime is scarier than anything horror writers have come up with. Oh I've been terrified by Stephen King, wouldn't swim even in lakes after seeing Jaws, and do not want to be possessed or be around people who are possessed by demons thanks to The Exorcist. But true crime both fascinates me and freaks me out - this really happened?
Well, if you're looking to scare yourself silly I'd go with Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi (the prosecuting attorney in the case), with Curt Gentry. The name Charles Manson is well associated with words like cult leader, delusional, racist, and murderer. Living in California in the 60's, Charlie wanted to be a singer and musician and was a fan of "free love" so long as it worked in his favor. After gathering followers, he convinced them all to live at the broken down Spahn Movie Ranch north of Los Angeles. Although very scary, apparently Manson was also quite charismatic and took advantage of these lost, stoned flower children, brainwashing them to believe in Helter Skelter - a crazy theory of racial apocalypse where by they would hide in a secret city under Death Valley, arising after the war to control the world as white supremacists. And he claimed that this idea was inspired by his interpretation of the song Helter Skelter by The Beatles.
Manson also manipulated several of his followers to murder, the most famous and horrifying being the gruesome killing of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others at the home of director Roman Polanski (Tate's husband). Although never present at the crime scenes, Manson was arrested and convicted as the architect of the murders. He wanted to defend himself but caused so many ludicrous scenes he was subjected to a gag order, and eventually found guilty. Due to a change in California law, he skirted the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison. Now 78 years old, Charlie Manson will be eligible for parole in 2027 at age 92.
No comments:
Post a Comment