Hulu’s next true crime documentary begins with a DNA test and a devastating result. My Grandfather Charles Manson, which just received its first trailer, follows filmmaker Sophia Maddox after an ancestry test reveals she is the biological granddaughter of the notorious cult leader. The documentary premieres Wednesday, July 22 on Hulu.
An Unwanted Discovery
The film chronicles Maddox’s search for her unknown grandfather and the shocking place it led. “After I learned Charles Manson was my grandfather through a DNA test, I started filming myself because I didn’t know how else to cope with the news,” Maddox told PEOPLE in an exclusive first look. “What began as a way to process a shocking family discovery became a deeper investigation into generational trauma, identity, and whether we’re destined to repeat the stories we inherit.”
Per Laughing Place, Maddox’s investigation pulls her into an underworld of Manson family members and unreliable narrators as she traces her grandfather’s life. Along the way, her genetics unlock never before released records and exclusive audio recordings that illuminate Manson’s pathology, all while the revelations strain her relationship with her father, Daniel, who bears a striking resemblance to Manson and appears in the film.
A New Branch Of A Notorious Family Tree
Before the documentary, Manson was publicly known to have three sons. Maddox’s film reveals an entirely unknown branch of the family tree nearly nine years after his death. My Grandfather Charles Manson is directed by Maddox and Alexandra Orton and produced by SMUGGLER Entertainment and Joan of Arc Pictures, and it will stream on Hulu, on Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US, and on Disney+ internationally.
The film joins a loaded summer slate for Disney’s streaming brands, which also includes FX’s The Shards arriving on Hulu August 5 with original music from Troye Sivan and Leland.
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