Mondo Cane 2 (1963)

Director:
Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi

IMDB

Review:
The original shockumentary sequel made up of episodes in the life of man and beast, filmed all over the world - New Guinea, Germany, Singapore, Portugal, Australia, America and beyond. This time around, the voyage includes vivisection, recreations of old west lynchings, a visit to a mortician's school, transvestites, wild sex clubs and alligator hunting.

Mondo cane (1962)

Director:
Paolo Cavara and Gualtiero Jacopetti

IMDB

Review:
Mondo Cane examines the ridiculous and cruel aspects of mankind, recording an abundance of evidence across the global spectrum from the most developed to the most primitive cultures. This film kicked off the "shockumentary" genre, but generally its many sequels and imitators were simply exploitational and lacked the pointed purposefulness of the original. While Mondo Cane's "shock value" has faded over the years, the movie's striking cinematography and poetically sardonic viewpoint make it uniquely effective.

The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter (2009)

Director:
Michael Dorsey

IMDB

Review:
The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter" walks in the footsteps of the Manson Family, visiting over 40 locations related to the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, and tying together the dozens of odd connections between Charles Manson and the Hollywood elite. Entertainingly led by famous Hollywood historian Scott Michaels (E!'s 20 Most Horrifying Hollywood Murders, Dearly Departed: Vol. 1, FindADeath.com), this epic documentary employs never-before-seen autopsy reports (analyzed with the help of the Los Angeles Department of the Coroner), dozens of rare photographs, original Manson Family music recordings, and modern-day visits to the locations where the action went down, in the most complete retelling of the Manson Murders ever put on film.

Devil's Playground (2002)

Director:
Lucy Walker

IMDB

Review:
The Devil's Playground is a fascinating and moving documentary about a little-known aspect of Amish life. Amish are not permitted to join the church until their late teens, and have to do so of their own volition. The film explores rumspringa, wherein young Amish are given the opportunity to explore the "English" way of life. Filmmaker Lucy Walker tracked a few of these young people over the course of their experience. The film shows how difficult it is for them to break away from the church. Many of them "act out," exploring not just Nintendo and rock music, but alcohol, drugs, and sex. But almost all of them return to the church, and this fairly balanced documentary makes it clear that despite the church's stance, there is tremendous pressure, both economic and emotional, on these kids to return to the fold. The film focuses on a young man, Faron, who develops a serious drug problem and decides not to get baptized, and a young woman, Velda, who was baptized, and then later, suffering from acute depression, made the difficult decision to leave the church. Walker successfully captures the compelling details of this formerly closed and forbidding world, and the essentially ordinary kids who inhabit it.