CHAOS: The Manson Murders Review: Thoroughly Entertaining

In this provocative Netflix documentary, director Errol Morris questions the popular narrative surrounding the Manson family and the infamous murders and challenges viewers to explore other possibilities.

The series is based on the 2019 book CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties, written by Tom O’Neill with Dan Piepenbring. With a runtime of 96 minutes, the film premiered at the Museum of Modern Art on 06 March 2025 before releasing internationally on Netflix.

CHAOS: The Manson Murders Review

Errol Morris brings to us a rousing documentary film that goes deeper into the Charles Manson family murders than others. Based on a non-fiction book, the documentary film is a chaotic and thrilling watch, much like the case it wants to bring forth. The film goes down several different tangents brining forth several revelations and speculations that will pique the interests of many. Conspiracy theories galore, the film will be an entertaining watch for true crime lovers who might want to look a little deeper into this shocking tragedy.

Following Manson’s roots and ending with the murders that continues to leave everyone shocked, the documentary explores several interesting avenues that connect almost too well. The MKUltra angle isn’t something that most people might be familiar with (I know I wasn’t), but it fits well into the chaos that was Manson. The film breaks down the tragedy into several parts, showcasing Manson’s rise to “fame” and collecting a deluge of loyal followers who would do anything for him without question. It’s almost creepy to watch the women in this scenario following Manson around — one can’t help but wonder their mental conditions in such situations.

The documentary is created and edited, as mentioned previously, extremely chaotically. The editing is really harsh and doesn’t always transition smoothly. I think it goes well with the subject matter and makes us feel a little uncomfortable. With the horrible murders to explore, it adds to the creepiness of everything. That being said, I think the film is extremely dramatic. It almost feels like it’s trying to overdo the craziness of an already crazy situation somehow and ends up feeling a bit too forceful.

I found some of the parallels to be a bit much as well. Sure, the documentary does bring some new information years after the fact, discussing motivations and opening up new possibilities. Were there some people behind Manson and his family who didn’t let his “perfect subjects” get arrested months after the murders in spite of the overwhelming evidence? Was Susan Atkins coached to testify against Manson and get lesser charge? There are several questions asked that will make the conspiracy theorists among us get our computers out to go on a deep dive but some of these “suggestions” are more plausible than others. Some just feel a bit too far fetched to be taken seriously in anyway.

Final Thoughts

CHAOS: The Manson Murders is definitely entertaining and makes you think about what was covered up in such a high-profile case. Charles Manson is a very interesting case study for most true crime fans and the documentary does a great job of keeping that interest alive. Not everything that it brings forth seems plausible but it’s interesting to wonder either way, especially thanks to the great pacing of the documentary.

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