Manson’s rise to infamy can be attributed to his leadership of the Manson Family, a cult-like group that he formed in the late 1960s. He attracted a following of disaffected young people, whom he manipulated through a combination of charisma, psychological control, and drugs. Manson preached about an impending apocalyptic race war, which he called “Helter Skelter,” a term he borrowed from The Beatles’ song.