Blu-ray, DVD Release: The Other Side of Madness

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Nov. 24, 2020
Price: DVD $21.99, Blu-ray $26.99
Studio: The Film Detective

The Film Detective restores and re-release 1971’s crime drama/documentary The Other Side of Madness as the inaugural title in a series of TFD releases from The Wade Williams Collection.

Available on limited-edition Blu-ray or DVD, The Other Side of Madness was one of the first cinematic depictions of the 1969 Manson murders, filmed as the Manson trial was still in progress. Portrayed as a modern “noir,” it proved so shocking to audiences at the time that the film was banned in Los Angeles.

Directed and shot by filmmaker Frank Howard and produced by Wade Williams, the film was the film was partially filmed at the Spahn Ranch—one of the  Manson Family’s residences—before it was destroyed by a wildfire in late 1970s.

Selections from the original motion picture soundtrack, written and performed by Charles Manson, will be offered on a limited-release Bonus CD (2,000 copies made) that’s included with the purchase of the collector’s deluxe anniversary edition Blu-ray or DVD.

Presented in a sleek, collectible black Blu-ray case, The Other Side of Madness is given new life with a 4K transfer from the original 35mm camera negative, preserved and restored in collaboration with The Wade Williams Collection.

Here’s a breakdown of the package’s bonus features:

• Narrated by film producer Wade Williams, an original documentary, The Other Side of Manson: An Interview With Producer Wade Williams, from Daniel Griffith at Ballyhoo Motion Pictures
  • Bonus featurette, Mechanical Man: Wade Williams Meets Manson,from Daniel Griffith at Ballyhoo Motion Pictures with narration from Wade Williams
  • Bonus CD with selections from the original, seven-inch, vinyl soundtrack, including “Mechanical Man” and “Garbage Dump,” written and performed by Charles Manson (available while supplies last, only 2,000 copies available)
  • 12-page, Blu-ray exclusive collector’s booklet with commentary from award-winning film director Alexander Tuschinski
  • Original theatrical trailers from both theatrical releases of the film, The Other Side of Madness (1971) and The Helter Skelter Murders (1976).