Fox will premiere Inside the Manson Cult: The Lost Tapes Monday, Sept. 17. The two-hour special looks at Charles Manson and “his gang of blindly loyal followers,” in Fox’s words.
Liev Schreiber will narrate.
NBC will air the Emmys that same night.
One filmmaker, Robert Hendrickson, was given exclusive access to the Manson cult. In October 2016, he died, leaving a vast collection of footage, interviews and photos that the special draws from. Culled from more than 100 hours of footage, Inside the Manson Cult goes inside Spahn’s Ranch, where the cult lived.
The special will feature interviews with former Manson cult members, such as Catherine “Gypsy” Share and Dianne “Snake” Lake, as well as key people involved in the Manson case, including prosecutor Stephen Kay and FBI criminal profiler John Douglas. It also offers an interview with Bobby Beausoleil from prison, where he is serving a life sentence for a murder he committed in association with the Manson family.
“The Manson murders are some of history’s most shocking and grisly crimes,” said Rob Wade, president, alternative entertainment and specials, Fox. “The Lost Tapes offers incredible insight into how such unsuspecting people fell under Manson’s demonic spell, and how so many of them committed such heinous acts.”
Fifty years ago, Charles Manson, an aspiring musician, assembled a group of young followers, setting up a commune in Southern California. They committed several murders in 1969. Manson died last year.
“Raw, candid and compelling, this extraordinary cache of material takes us right inside the Manson family home at the very time the crimes were committed,” said executive producer Simon Andreae. “The footage shows – in real time – how the cult members were brainwashed under Manson’s influence.”
Inside the Manson Cult: The Lost Tapes is produced by Naked Television. Simon Andreae, Hugh Ballantyne and Richard Dale are executive producers, along with Allan Gaba and Dean Egnater.
