Picture: Netflix
Netflix’s true-crime documentary series Conversations with a Killer draws to a conclusion this August with one final instalment focusing on American cult leader Charles Manson, a figure who director Joe Berlinger says “ushered in the modern era of America’s fascination with true crime.”
Created and directed by Academy-award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger, Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer true-crime docuseries are deep-dives into some of the world’s most complex true-crime cases, showcasing everything from archival audio footage and tapes, and featuring exclusive interviews with key figures involved, journalists, and investigators. So far, the ongoing documentary series has four instalments: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019), The John Wayne Gacy Tapes (2022), The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes (2022), and The Son of Sam Tapes (2025).
The series wraps up this August with one final instalment: The Charles Manson Tapes, depicting Charles Manson rise as a cult leader, the 1969 murders that followed, and the subsequent trial that sparked immense media interest. The documentary is created by Berlinger and produced by Rachael Profiloski (Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street), Jen Isaacson (Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes), Jon Kamen (The Idaho Murders: A College Nightmare), and Tom O’Brien.
An American criminal and cult leader, Charles Manson was responsible for a string of murders in the late 1960s in California, during the height of the hippie movement. The cult surrounding him became known as the ‘Manson Family,’ and in 1969, he ordered his followers to commit a number of brutal killings, not least the murder of actress Sharon Tate. Manson didn’t directly commit the crimes, but he was the mastermind behind the insidious acts, and in the requisite 1971 trial, he was convicted for his involvement in prompting the murders. He received a first-degree murder conviction, one that kept him imprisoned until his eventual death in 2017.
The upcoming, 3-part Netflix documentary explores the case through previously unreleased prison recordings, firsthand accounts, and archival footage. It also features interviews with former Manson Family members and law enforcement, as well as recorded phone calls with Manson himself. Check out the official trailer:
“As we bring Conversations with a Killer to a close, I wanted our final season to focus on the figure who, more than anyone else, ushered in the modern era of America’s fascination with true crime,” director Joe Berlinger said. “While Charles Manson isn’t a traditional serial killer like Bundy, Gacy, Dahmer, or the Son of Sam, his crimes fundamentally changed the way the media covered violence and the way the public consumed it. Rather than adding to the mythology surrounding Manson, our goal was to examine the systems of manipulation and control he created, while centering the voices of those who lived through it and continue to grapple with its aftermath. Their firsthand accounts—along with remarkable archival material, including never-before-heard prison phone recordings of Manson himself—offer a fresh perspective on one of the defining criminal cases of the twentieth century.”
“It felt like the right story with which to conclude one of Netflix’s longest-running true crime documentary series,” he added.
Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes releases August 12 on Netflix