Bob Odenkirk He Ain't

In case you didn't know, I have an unfortunate interest in serial killers and cults. This is unfortunate because I am also the most scared person I know. I mean, I live my life assuming that I could be attacked and killed at any moment, so I really don't need to watch the History Channel's special on Manson, aptly titled "Manson." But here I am, 45 minutes into it.
So far, it's weird. There are interviews with Catherine Share (who was called Gypsy by the Manson family, but she probably wasn't named after a Fleetwood Mac song like H's rabbit), as well as some dudes who are apparently Manson historians (dream job! How do I get it?). But the makers of this special made a weird, weird, weird, choice. Instead of using actual footage from this time (Youtube assures me there's more than enough to fill a two hour special), they opted to recreate pivotal scenes. Entertainment Weekly said that the re-enactments give it a made-for-TV-movie feel, and they are right! I feel like I'm watching the strangest Lifetime movie ever made. Also, the guy they picked to play Manson looks strangely like Pete Yorn. And honestly, he does not act that much like the Charles Manson I've seen on TV before.
This is how Charles Mason acts, right?

Which isn't to say that it isn't interesting. The most interesting part (for me, anyway) is that Catherine Share looks like such a normal person now. She's wearing a jacket, lookin' like someone's mom. Yet she was totally caught up in this crazy cult that started out with LSD and orgies and quickly evolved into a barely logical murder scheme.
The re-enactments have become more violent (Mason just cut off an ear!) so I'll end this now. The last time I watched a special on the Manson Family ("Unsolved Murders of the Manson Family"), I had horrific nightmares. I don't think this will have the same effect, but we will see.