Serial Killers 2-pack
by A&E Biography
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne GacyDirector: A&E Biography
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 200 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-12-19
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video
Movie Reviews of Serial Killers 2-pack
Movie Review: Must-see true crime
Summary: 5 Stars
If like myself you have a strange fascination with John Gacy, Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer, you should definitely watch this DVD. It is truly chilling.
It's hard to imagine living in a house where 29 murdered young men were buried underneath in the crawl space. It would give most people terrible nightmares. But apparently not John Wayne Gacy. Gacy definitely did not appear to be a scary person - in the DVD, one of his lawyers describes his outward persona as being that of a "Santa Claus" type figure. Gacy dressed up as a clown and visited Chicago hospitals to make young children laugh. He was a respected, hard-working, generous and popular member of the community, who was active in supporting his local branch of the Democrats, and even had his photo taken with then first lady, Rosalind Carter. However, behind this elaborate and convincing façade lurked a monster of unimaginable evil. For over six years in the early to late 70s, Gacy, who was later dubbed "The Killer Clown", raped and murdered 33 young men in the privacy of his own home. He was one of the worst serial killers in history. This DVD accurately tells the story of Gacy and his deadly compulsion. It covers his family history and includes interviews with key law enforcement officers who were involved in the case, as well as close friends of Gacy and the mother of one of the victims.
The second segment of disc 2 details the crimes of Charles Manson and his murderous "Family". I remember when I was 13 years old that I watched the 70s version of the movie Helter Skelter about this case. I recall feeling very depressed for a week or two afterwards, mostly due to thinking about the cruel and horrible things that human beings can do to each other.
The brutality and dreadful horror of these crimes is hard to comprehend. Nevertheless, it was fascinating to watch the interviews with Patricia Krenwinkle and Leslie Van Houten, two of the murderers responsible for committing these crimes. Krenwinkle and Van Houten appear sincerely regretful and at least had the courage to go on film. Of course, one cannot know how genuine they really are. I personally tend to be more believing of them than two of the other murderers not interviewed in this DVD, the deranged space cadet Susan Atkins, and Charles "Tex" Watson, the latter of whom apparently delivered most of the fatal blows to the victims.
From my understanding of the case, Watson, Atkins and Krenwinkle were perhaps the most active participants in the delivery of these heinous crimes. Atkins personally stabbed one of the victims, the actress Sharon Tate, and when Sharon, more than eight months pregnant, pleaded for her life and the life of her unborn child, Atkins cold-heartedly responded "look bitch, I have no mercy for you". I feel very sad for the victims in this story, such as poor Sharon Tate and her friends and the La Biancas, just sitting at home and relaxing one night, having no idea that their homes were about to be invaded by a pack of disturbed and heartless killers. According to Vincent Bugliosi's definitive book about these crimes (also, like the movie, called Helter Skelter) one word that was repeatedly mentioned to describe Sharon Tate by people who knew her was "sweet". She was also described as "a woman of astonishing beauty" by a journalist who wrote about the case.
Manson, who is interviewed in this DVD, is still as frightening and crazy as ever - and this description is decidedly conservative. In reality, the man is a manifest lunatic - take note of the part in the DVD where he talks about the La Bianca murders and the gruesome messages written in blood on the wall (e.g. "DEATH TO PIGS") and says to the interviewer "just like I would say to you woman, if you're going to do something, do it well... And leave something witchy. Have a good day" (!?) It is reassuring that in some instances, unlike with Gacy, evil is apparent for all to see.
It is clearly appropriate that Manson should never be released from prison - there can be no doubt that his warped charisma would be a danger to society even now. The aspect of this story that I found most unnerving is the influence that one person can have over another, even enough to murder another innocent human being. The whole story, including how Manson believed that the Beatles were trying to communicate with him through their song "Helter Skelter" (from their White album) is exceedingly more bizarre than most people could come up with for the plot of a fantasy novel. As a Beatles fan, I wonder what John Lennon thought of it all...
The segment on Jeffrey Dahmer is also fascinating. He appeared to be a docile, good-looking, young man. But however placid Dahmer appeared on the outside, even as his defence lawyer later said, the being that he became was the "embodiment of evil". One really does have to wonder how someone who perpetrated crimes such as Dahmer's could be considered sane, particularly in relation to his cannibalism and dismemberment of the victims.
One of the statements shown in this DVD that I found particularly spine-chilling was made by Dahmer's last victim, Tracey Edwards, who survived his ordeal and was largely responsible for the long overdue exposure of Dahmer's crimes. Tracey, who comes across as a decidedly likeable and sincere person, describes how during his visit to Dahmer's apartment, Dahmer's face and demeanour abruptly changed from being pleasant, courteous and engaging, to something demonic, threatening and aggressive in nature, all with the sinister backdrop of the movie "The Exorcist 2" playing in the background.
To sum up, if you have a fascination with mankind's darker nature, you will find this DVD enthralling. This is without a doubt the most well-constructed and researched true crime documentary I have seen - five stars.
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