brokehorrorfan:

The Other Side of Madness is an interesting effort for a number of reasons, chief among them that it is the first cinematic depiction of the Manson Family murders. Released in 1971, it was produced while the trail was still ongoing. A portion of the movie was shot on location at Manson’s old stomping ground, Spahn Ranch in Los Angeles, CA, where some of his extended “family” members not involved in the trials appeared as extras. Two of Manson’s original songs are even featured on the soundtrack.

This may sound like a recipe for a cheap exploitation picture, and in some respects The Other Side of Madness fits that bill, but director-cinematographer-editor Frank Howard’s (his only film credit) avant garde approach to the sensational subject matter gives the 81-minute docudrama an experimental flourish. The script - written by J.J. Wilke Jr., with additional dialogue by Duke Howze and research by Ron Shepherd - is faithful to the information that was available publicly at the time.

Keep reading