Yahoo Lifestyle The 20 best cult documentaries and docuseries, ranked
These titles range from recent streaming hits like "Wild Wild Country" to decades-old classics like "Manson."
Many of us turn to documentaries examining notorious cults with the hope of better understanding the pathology of both the leaders and those who fall prey to them. There’s never any shortage of cult activity — especially in Southern California — but each presents a unique case study. Some are seemingly about control (NXIVM), others about power (Teal Swan), and some just want to watch the world burn.
Though they’ve become particularly popular in the streaming era, cult documentaries have been around for decades. The genre arguably came into its own with the release of 1973’s Manson, an almost queasily up-to-the-minute doc examining the notorious “family” and their brutal murders. Cult documentaries have since proliferated in recent years, resulting in some of the topic’s finest installments — Sons of Perdition (2010), Going Clear (2015), and Wild Wild Country (2018), to name a few.
Read on for Entertainment Weekly’s list of the 20 best cult documentaries and docuseries.
20. Sons of Perdition (2010)
This is a tragic but eminently watchable feature profiling three teens who left — either by choice or by force — the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, some of them for infractions as minor as listening to music. The young men find themselves in a world hostile to them and their experience, forced to fend for themselves and find work as they grapple with being permanently separated from their families and the only community they’ve ever known.
Each subject maintains an admirable stoicism even in their darkest moments, with the documentary serving as a stark reminder of the emotional toll organized religion can have on young children. —Declan Gallagher
Where to watch Sons of Perdition: Peacock
19. American Commune (2013)
American Commune examines The Farm, a cult established by “hippie holy man” Stephen Gaskin and his wife, Ina May. Directors Nadine Mundo and Rena Mundo Croshere grew up in the Farm, and the film finds them returning to their childhood home to examine its history and their own, as well as the commune’s inevitable collapse.
The personal angle makes this a particularly compelling watch, while the little-known story of Gaskin and May will fascinate those curious about the inner workings of cults and communes. —D.G.
Where to watch American Commune: Amazon Prime Video
18. Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
Stanley Nelson’s riveting documentary tells the story of Jim Jones and his Peoples Temple cult from its inception to its establishment of a “utopian” society to its horrifying conclusion when Jones led more than 900 people to their doom in a mass suicide.
Through interviews with Jones’ associates, survivors of the massacre, and former Temple members, Nelson weaves one of the most potent and hard-hitting exposés of the cult. It’s a tragic story that many of us are familiar with, but much like Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre, Nelson zeroes in on the human element, making the emotional beats far more impactful than a typical true crime doc. —D.G.
Where to watch Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple: Not available to stream
17. Deprogrammed (2015)
Deprogrammed profiles the efforts of anti-cult activist Ted Patrick. In the 1970s, he began a grass-roots campaign amassing parents and family members of cult members, in addition to survivors, to advocate for government and state-sponsored programs to deprogram those who escape from factions.
Mia Donovan’s illuminating feature is a concise, heartbreaking look at the devastation cults cause among friends and loved ones. Donovan has a close connection to the subject — her brother went through deprogramming after escaping a cult — and she utilizes that expertise in an authoritative but low-key manner, lending Deprogrammed a genuine air of authenticity. —D.G.
Where to watch Deprogrammed: Tubi
16. Children of God: Lost and Found (2007)
This is a first-hand account from survivors of their time growing up in the Children of God cult, an evangelical Christian movement led by David Berg. Berg founded several cults in Southern California that preached a message of open sexuality, eventually leading to allegations of child abuse.
This lithe, 66-minute doc sees those involved speak with great clarity and acceptance about their horrific experiences growing up in the commune. Rather than examine Berg’s many duplicities, or the context for his behavior, Children of God gives his victims a platform to work through their trauma. It’s a risky endeavor, but one that offers much catharsis. —D.G.
Where to watch Children of God: Amazon Prime Video
15. The Source Family (2012)
Ever heard of Father Yod and his Source Family? Most people hadn’t before 2012, but boy do they know him now. Taking much of his influence from Yogi Bhajan, Father Yod headed out to Hollywood in the late ’60s to live the Southern California dream: He opened a health food store on Sunset Boulevard catering to the hottest celebs and summarily incorporated his own cult, which laid the groundwork for all so-called “wellness” movements to come.
The Source Family is one of the most unbelievable and entertaining documentaries you’ll likely ever see. It’s not a dark or heavy piece, but a jaunty and at times laugh-out-loud funny (admittedly, not always for the reasons Father Yod intended) exposé of a little-known chapter of Hollywood history. —D.G.
Where to watch The Source Family: Amazon Prime Video
14. Life After Manson (2014)
This short-form documentary (a slim 24 minutes) profiles former Manson family member Patricia Krenwinkel, who was convicted for her involvement in the Tate-LaBianca murders and is currently the longest-incarcerated female inmate in California’s prison system.
Much like The Women Behind the Massacre, Life After Manson profiles an infrequently examined corner of the long-discussed crimes of Manson. Krenwinkel’s firsthand account of her time with the family — and, inevitably, the shocking crimes that define her life — are heartbreaking. But she never makes excuses for her actions and remains clear-eyed about her involvement, making for one of the most personal and visceral documents of the Manson family. —D.G.
Where to watch Life After Manson: Vimeo
13. Escaping Twin Flames (2023)
Netflix’s skin-crawling creep-out profiles the Twin Flames Universe (TFU), a love cult pushing a bizarre combination of New Age spiritualism, Hinduism, and conservative Christianity. Run by Jeff and Shaleia Divine, TFU pushes the theory that everyone has a “twin flame,” which is basically a soulmate on bath salts. This makes the heartsick and lonely particularly ripe fodder for their cult.
Not to be confused with Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe, Escaping Twin Flames is one of the strangest and most compelling modern documentaries about religious cults. There are few organizations as headstrong and seemingly confused as the TFU, which is painted in vivid detail through interviews with the cult’s former members and survivors. —D.G.
Where to watch Escaping Twin Flames: Netflix
12. The Vow (2020–2022)
What began as an old-school self-help operation designed to unlock human potential morphed into a sorority-like sex cult that groomed its female members into a life of devotion to their leader, Keith Raniere. The Vow chronicles NXIVM's rise in the early 2000s, exposing systematic abuse, financial exploitation, psychological experiments, and other criminal activities.
Much of the docuseries is delivered through a wealth of archival recordings captured over the years by cinematographer turned whistleblower Mark Vincente. While season 1 unveils the cult's origins and delves into the involvement of major key players (including Smallville actress Allison Mack), season 2 shifts its focus to Raniere's court trial and offers insights into his steadfast support, as well as an exclusive interview with NVIXM'S cofounder, Nancy Salzman. —James Mercadante
11. My Scientology Movie (2015)
Filmmaker and journalist Louis Theroux, denied access to the Church of Scientology while trying to make an authorized documentary, teams with former senior church official Mark Rathbun to film recreations of alleged violent incidents witnessed by Rathbun and other survivors during their time with the church.
Theroux is the perfect guide for this journey, which might have collapsed under its own weight with a less jocular presenter at the helm. My Scientology Movie features a few outstanding allegations against the church, but the film becomes a different, far more fascinating beast when the org begins crafting the narrative itself as they stalk Theroux and retaliate upon the crew. —D.G.
Where to watch My Scientology Movie: Disney+
10. Holy Hell (2016)
This is a truly wild documentary from Will Allen, who in his early 20s moved to Los Angeles and joined the Buddhafield, a bizarre cult led by Michel Rostand, a failed actor whose claim to fame was doing background work in Rosemary’s Baby.
Composed of footage he shot while still in the cult, Holy Hell’s title refers to both the experience of Buddhafield’s members and the exclamation you’re sure to utter at least twice while viewing. —D.G.
Where to watch Holy Hell: Peacock
9. Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (2015)
Alex Gibney’s astonishing, enraging 2015 HBO feature charts the rise of Scientology from its roots, beginning when moderately unsuccessful sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard cooked the idea up in his salon.
Gibney’s documentary is one of many profiling the church’s abuses, and his is by far the best example of the subgenre. With a clear voice that largely avoids anger and outrage, and a sensitive spotlight on Scientology’s survivors, Gibney weaves the church’s sordid history and modern existence into a film that is by turns startling, tragic, and redemptive. —D.G.
Where to watch Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief: Max
8. Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence (2023)
Stolen Youth profiles the case of Lawrence “Larry” Ray, who moved into his daughter’s dorm at New York’s Sarah Lawrence College and proceeded to start a “sex cult.” For the next decade or so, Ray preyed upon an expanding number of her students.
Stolen Youth is a suitably harrowing look at Ray’s crimes, which went on long after many of his victims left college and extended beyond New York into several other states. More than just a document of this well-known case, it’s an examination of the cult of personality as a whole. What compels someone like Ray to take on such a cause? How is this ordeal even possible, especially at an educational institution? Each of these points is unpacked with a satisfying thoroughness, and the story comes with a hopeful ending for its victims. —D.G.
Where to watch Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence: Hulu
7. Kumaré (2011)
Kumaré is a thoughtful and gently absurd inversion of the documentary format. Filmmaker Vikram Gandhi, long distanced from his Hindu faith, adopts the character of guru Sri Kumaré in an effort to prove how easy it is to amass followers and start a cult.
This is a terrific examination of faith of all stripes, and like the best documentaries it contains turns that surprise even its filmmakers, changing the film’s scope and meaning as it goes along. While Gandhi begins his pursuit with a largely prankish approach, his film (and the gimmick anchoring it) surprisingly illuminates what some people gain from becoming part of a communal family. —D.G.
6. Wild Wild Country (2018)
Netflix’s brilliant miniseries examines the cult of Indian spiritual guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (better known as Osho), who set up a so-called “utopian” society in the wilds of Oregon, which soon finds itself at odds with the quaint surrounding community.
To say much more about the series would spoil its greatest shocks and surprises. With elegance and a measured tone, Wild Wild Country charts an extremely turbulent but strangely forgotten era of American history, one that was influential in the country’s still-raging debate about the separation of church and state. —D.G.
Where to watch Wild Wild Country: Netflix
5. The Deep End (2022)
This four-part docuseries charts Teal Swan, a spiritual influencer and author who has amassed a number of fervent followers. The Deep End is one of the most sensational and controversial cult documentaries of the last decade, and for good reason. It’s an astonishing vision of a modern-day cult and a pretty potent examination of how tremendously easy social media makes it for someone like Swan to get their claws into people. —D.G.
Where to watch The Deep End: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)
4. Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre (2018)
There are many documentaries, docuseries, narrative features, and TV specials that profile Jonestown, but most of them focus on Jim Jones or the infamous mass suicide. This thoughtful doc takes a different approach, examining the women Jones groomed and who helped plan the notorious massacre, which took place on November 18, 1978.
The Women Behind the Massacre is a tragic examination of abuse and the lengths to which some will go to satisfy their abuser. It’s tough viewing and not for everyone, but it’s also an expertly told story with a surplus of archival footage and well-modulated interview subjects that avoid sensationalism and instead focus on the everyday lives of the central women. —D.G.
Where to watch Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre: Hulu
3. Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997)
This Oscar nominee is one of the most harrowing docs ever produced. It tells the story of the bloody 1993 Waco, Tex., siege by the ATF and state law enforcement on a religious cult known as the Branch Davidians, which resulted in 80 deaths. Using FBI footage of the standoff and the ensuing congressional hearing, in addition to survivor accounts, The Rules of Engagement weaves a sickening, damning indictment of law enforcement’s actions as well as those of the Davidians’ higher powers, painting a white-knuckle picture of a perfect storm ending in great bloodshed. —D.G.
Where to watch Waco: The Rules of Engagement: YouTube
2. Prophet’s Prey (2015)
Documentarian Amy Berg tackles the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and its leader, Warren Jeffs, who displayed a sickening cruel streak to the congregation. Jeffs is currently serving a life sentence in prison, where he has started another grass-roots religion.
With author Jon Krakauer and private investigator Sam Brower as guides, Berg weaves a tragic tale of great evil posing as remarkable salvation. This well-paced doc packs the emotional wallop of a sledgehammer with the pacing of a Hollywood thriller. It’s enraging and insightful, yet ultimately hopeful. —D.G.
Where to watch Prophet’s Prey: Paramount+
1. Manson (1973)
This gritty doc, directed by Robert Hendrickson and Laurence Merrick, is certainly the most unfiltered and uncompromised view of Charles Manson and his demented “family.” Filmed in the immediate aftermath of the notorious Tate-LaBianca slayings and amidst the ensuing trial, Manson features interviews with cult members Squeaky Fromme, Sandra Good, and Manson himself.
In allowing the family to speak for themselves, the filmmakers let them dig their own grave. This is a grimy, feel-bad doc, but it’s also one of the best of its kind for the incisive, unflinching portrait of a seminal time for America. —D.G.
Where to watch Manson: YouTube
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
