THERE ARE NO SPOILERS FOR ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD AHEAD. Quentin Tarantino’s ninth movie follows actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), but they just so happen to live next door to Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski in 1969 Los Angeles. A controversial subject to touch, the Manson family murders of Tate and others took place on August 9 that year at 10050 Cielo Drive in Beverly Hills. Cult leader Manson, who his followers believed was a manifestation of Jesus with imminent prophecies of a race war, ordered follower Tex Watson to “totally destroy everyone in [it], as gruesome as you can.”
So Watson, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian and Patricia Krenwinkel headed to the property.
The occupants that evening were Tate (who was eight and a half months pregnant) hair stylist Jay Sebring, aspiring screenwriter Wojciech Frykowski and Frykowski’s lover Abigail Folger.
Polanski probably would have been there but was working on a film in Europe, while Quincy Jones planned to go that evening but didn’t in the end.
What happened afterwards saw the gruesome deaths of Tate and friends, each of whom were stabbed multiple times, before the murderers wrote “PIG” in the 26-year-old’s blood on the front door. But why did Manson order these horrific acts?
Well, it turns out that Manson was annoyed with producer Terry Melcher, who used to rent 10050 Cielo Drive where Tate was living.
Melcher had turned down making an album with Manson, so the cult leader ordered Watson to take a group to “that house where Melcher used to live” and basically murder everyone there in revenge.
While Manson’s other reason for ordering the attack was supposedly part of his grand plan to kick off this apocalyptic race war he was prophesying.
He called it Helter Skelter and claimed this future was foretold in a code on The Beatles’ White Album.
