Previously unreleased prison calls, firsthand testimony and archival footage open a disturbing window into the world Charles Manson created around himself. Against the backdrop of the late-1960s counterculture, Manson draws vulnerable and disillusioned young people into a tightly controlled group built on promises of love, freedom and belonging. His manipulation gradually deepens into paranoia, domination and violence, culminating in the 1969 murders committed by members of the Manson Family, including the killings at the home of Sharon Tate, and in Manson’s delusional belief that the crimes could help ignite a racial apocalypse he called “Helter Skelter.” The story then follows the investigation, arrests and extraordinary 1971 trial, where Manson and his followers turn the courtroom into a spectacle and become symbols of a darker side of the era. Recordings of Manson himself are joined by voices from people who lived through the events, including material connected to followers such as Charles “Tex” Watson, Susan Atkins and Leslie Van Houten, revealing how charisma, coercion and group loyalty were transformed into lethal obedience. Presented here with all three episodes combined into a single video, viewers can follow the complete story without interruption, from the formation of the Family to the murders, the trial and the disturbing legacy Manson left behind.
In July 1970, Jimi Hendrix stepped onto the stage of the Atlanta Pop Festival before an audience of more than 300,000 people—the largest American crowd of his career. This film presents rare, restored footage of that historic Independence Day performance, where he delivered unforgettable renditions of classics like Hey Joe, Voodoo Child (Slight Return), and The Star-Spangled Banner. Alongside the music, interviews with Hendrix, his bandmates Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox, and contemporaries such as Paul McCartney provide insight into his artistry and state of mind at the time. Framed against the cultural backdrop of Vietnam, civil rights struggles, and the countercultural movement, this documentary captures not only a milestone concert, but also the moment Hendrix became both a symbol and a voice for a restless generation.
A kaleidoscopic immersion into the underground art and music scene of 1960s New York, this documentary eschews conventional rock biographies in favor of a sensory-rich, cinematic experience. Through a vibrant mosaic of avant-garde films, rare archival footage, and personal testimonies, it paints the Velvet Underground not just as a band—but as the beating heart of a creative explosion. By interweaving interviews with John Cale and Maureen Tucker alongside voices from their cultural milieu, the film evokes the fraught, fragile energy of a time when music intersected with performance, queerness, and counterculture. More than a story about a band, it is a journey into a cultural explosion that still resonates today.
This rockumentary-style presidential portrait shows how Jimmy Carter reinvigorated a post-Watergate America-with the music of the counterculture, including the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Jimmy Buffett. Low on campaign funds and lacking in name recognition, Carter relied on support from these artists to give him a crucial boost in the Democratic primaries. Once Carter was elected, the musicians became frequent guests in the White House.
This highly anticipated psychedelic docuseries showcases what these substances teaches people about consciousness, dying, addiction, depression and transcendence. Filmmaker Alex Gibney and best-selling author Michael Pollan present it in four parts, each focused on a different mind-altering substance: LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, and mescaline. With Pollan as our guide, we journey to the frontiers of the new psychedelic renaissance -- and look back at almost-forgotten historical context -- to explore the potential of these substances to heal and change minds as well as culture. The first chapter is a great introduction to the topic of LSD, from its 1943 origins to today's microdosing trend, for those who don’t already know a lot about the subject, and a fun and entertaining refresher on LSD for even experts in the field. The show takes us on a journey through the history of the powerful compound, from its discovery and its early medical use, to secret CIA mind-control studies, the counterculture and its banning, and finally to our current renaissance. It includes amazing clips of LSD’s inventor Albert Hofmann and powerful personal testimonies of individuals who have healed their suffering through LSD.
This three-day music festival was promoted to echo unity and counterculture idealism of the original 1969 concert but instead devolved into riots, looting and sexual assaults. The film documents the notorious music festival like an unravelling horror film to visceral effect, presenting a flashpoint in cultural nadir while suggesting that it was also a sign of troubles to come.
The story then follows the investigation, arrests and extraordinary 1971 trial, where Manson and his followers turn the courtroom into a spectacle and become symbols of a darker side of the era. Recordings of Manson himself are joined by voices from people who lived through the events, including material connected to followers such as Charles “Tex” Watson, Susan Atkins and Leslie Van Houten, revealing how charisma, coercion and group loyalty were transformed into lethal obedience. Presented here with all three episodes combined into a single video, viewers can follow the complete story without interruption, from the formation of the Family to the murders, the trial and the disturbing legacy Manson left behind.