Summary

  • Cult documentaries provide an impartial look into the formation and beliefs of cults, showcasing the extreme devotion and mesmerizing power of cult leaders and members. They challenge the notion that only vulnerable individuals can be attracted to cults.
  • These documentaries explore how seemingly ordinary people can become involved in cults, highlighting the allure of a supposed better way of life and the susceptibility of individuals under certain circumstances and stressors.
  • The best cult documentaries strive to objectively portray the origins and development of cults, shedding light on their motivations and locations, without passing judgment on their members. They aim to inform viewers about how and why cults emerge and thrive.

Content warning: The following article contains discussions of suicide and abuse.

True-crime fans have had a long-standing fascination with cults, and the best cult documentaries give an impartial, exhaustive look into how these communities form. Cult documentaries are so popular because of how preposterous they can often seem on the outside looking in. Many feature one leader, usually male, who is able to gather an unprecedented amount of devotion. Those involved in these cults seem to be totally enraptured long past the point most people believe they would know they’re being told lies. There’s a certain voyeurism in watching this happen.

However, another aspect of these documentaries that makes them so engaging is the build-up is how so many seemingly every day people come to be involved in cults. The idea that only the vulnerable are susceptible to being attracted to a cult is challenged. From one perspective, anyone under the right circumstances and stresses of modern life may be taken by the idea that there is a better way out there. A cult documentary can’t simply be a lurid look into an alien world. The best cult documentaries try to impartially depict how and why these cults took root, and when and where they did.

16 Heaven’s Gate: The Untold Story (1999)

Heavens Gate Marshall Appelwhite
  • Heaven's Gate: The Untold Story is not available for streaming

One of the more unique cults was Marshall Applewhite's, who founded a religion based around aliens. Sergio Myers shares the story in his cult documentary, Heaven's Gate: The Untold Story. After years of following Applewhite's rules, the group came to the conclusion that the only way to unite with these alien beings would be by destroying their Earth-bound bodies. In March 1997, San Diego County deputies discovered the bodies of the Heaven’s Gate cult, victims of a ritual suicide pact. The documentary is admirably impartial, never casting judgment on the Heaven’s Gate members. However, its info-dump style of storytelling may be too dry for some.

15 The Six Degrees Of Helter Skelter (2009)

The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter photo.
  • The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter DVD is available for purchase on Amazon

There have been many movies about the Manson family, as it was perhaps the most famous cult in American history. Led by Charles Manson, several members of the Manson family were tried and jailed for the Tate-LaBianca murders that occurred in August 1969. The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter delves more into the murders themselves and the areas in Los Angeles where the Manson family spent time. Many of the best cult documentaries are filmed on small budgets, and admittedly The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter doesn't have the best production value. But despite this, the filmmakers manage to uncover some little-known details about the cult.

14 Deprogrammed (2015)

Deprogrammed cover of a blue characters waving her hands in front of a pink sky.
  • Deprogrammed is available for streaming on Tubi

This cult documentary follows Ted "Black Lightning" Patrick, a man who spent much of his career in the 1970s "deprogramming" former cult members. Filmmaker Mia Donovan first met Patrick when she was 13, when he was asked by Donovan's stepfather to help deprogram her brother Matthew. The film explores the extreme lengths Patrick would go to, including kidnapping and rigorous questioning, to break the hold cults have had on people. "He was the first person to advocate that there was a potential danger with these kinds of groups," Mia said, via Refinery29. It’s a personal film but one where the impartiality is suspect due to Donovan’s proximity to the case.

13 Kumaré (2011)

Vikram Gandhi from the Kumare Cult Documentary in front of a yellow background.
  • Kumaré is available for streaming on Tubi

While it may not cover a cult in the traditional sense, Kumaré by filmmaker Vikram Gandhi, explores the world of yogis and their followings by posing Gandhi as one. Gandhi calls himself Sri Kumaré, a yogi hailing from a fictional region of India. He “journeys” to Arizona in an attempt to grow and develop a cult of followers. The documentary earned rave reviews upon release but came under fire for the filmmaker's deception and questions were raised about if it was an ethical or even valuable experiment. However, like many of the best cult documentaries, Kumaré explores how the members themselves are not blameless in how a cult can grow out of control.

RELATED: 10 Horror Movies Based On Real-Life Cults

12 The Source Family (2012)

The Source Family gathered around a white car.
  • The Source Family is available for streaming on Prime Video

The 2012 cult documentary The Source Family depicts Father Yod and the titular Source Family. Father Yod founded a "spiritual commune" in the Hollywood Hills in the late 1960s. The Source Family formed a rock band, habitually smoked marijuana and took LSD, and gave themselves new names like "Isis" and "Prism", all at the behest of their spiritual father Yod. The documentary shows how the cult misappropriated the New Age movement of the '60s and '70s, delving into the darker side of the group, including the cult members being forbidden to use modern medicine and antibiotics to treat illnesses.

11 A (1998)

Aum Shinrikyo sitting in A (Aum Shinrikyo Cult)
  • A DVD is available for purchase on Amazon

In 1998, Tatsuya Mori released a cult documentary about the Aum Shinrikyo Cult. A centers its focus on a well-known spokesman of the group, Hiroshi Araki, who gave the documentary crew unprecedented access to the cult's offices. Similar to other cult acolytes, Araki had to sever all family ties in joining. The cult claimed to be a sect of Buddhism but ended up being more of an extremist group. Their terrorist attack on the city of Tokyo in 1995 was meant to be a smokescreen to stall the investigation into the organization by local law enforcement. However, the sarin gas attack only illuminated the spotlight on the group.

10 Children of God (1994)

The Children of God family surrounding the David Berg.
  • Children of God is available for streaming on The Roku Channel and Freevee

Children of God features Sylvia Padilla and her children, who describe their time inside The Family International cult. Founded by David Berg, The Family International, known by many names including "Children of God", was founded in Huntington Beach in the late 1960s and included members such as River and Joaquin Phoenix, Rose McGowan when they were children. Helen Mirren narrates and like the best cult documentaries, the truly horrifying nature of the group isn’t revealed until midway through the story. Padilla and her daughters disclose how the group authorized the sexual abuse of minors and how the trauma lingers with them to this day.

9 Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator (2019)

Title card for Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator
  • Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator is available to stream on Netflix

The best cult documentaries remain impartial and fact-driven while still maintaining a compelling narrative, and Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator manages that balance well. The Netflix cult documentary concerns Bikram Choudhury, an Indian American guru who popularized his style of hot yoga in North America. Filmmaker Eva Orner tracks his rise from eccentric guide to sinister sexual abuser by interviewing his former acolytes. The filming mirrors the arc of how a student may have initially been convinced of Bikram’s teachings before uncovering the darkness beneath his practices.

8 Holy Hell (2016)

Will Allen Raises Hands in a frame from Holy Hell
  • Holy Hell is available to stream on Peacock

Will Allen tells his story as a former member of Buddhafield in his cult documentary Holy Hell. As a member of the cult for 22 years, Allen exposes abuse led by their leader, Michel Rostand. Allen interviews several other former members, all sharing stories of their time in the Buddhafield cult, some of which include Rostand forcing the members to remain celibate while he was free to have relations with them. Allen shares footage he took during his job as a videographer for the group, offering a first-hand account of the events. At the time of the film’s wrapping, the group still had nearly 100 members.

7 Prophet's Prey (2015)

Two woman standing on a road and looking away in Prophet's Prey.
  • Prophet's Prey is available to stream on Paramount+

This documentary is based on the 2011 book Prophet's Prey by Sam Brower, who also serves as the movie's producer. The documentary follows Warren Jeffs, the current head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who was tried and jailed for the rape of teenage girls. Jeffs is still in charge of the organization despite being in prison, and the documentary chronicles much of the secret dealings and abuse that other members of the church experienced. As many of the best documentaries do, Prophet’s Prey brings in experts like Jon Krakauer and Brower, to provide color and details for the foreboding story.

6 My Scientology Movie (2015)

Cover of My Scientology Movie with Louis Theroux standing in front of a drawn cityscape.
  • My Scientology Movie is available to stream on Hulu

This 2015 cult documentary follows famed documentarian Louis Theroux as he attempts to learn about the inner workings of one of the world's most mysterious organizations: Scientology. In My Scientology Movie, one of the best cult documentaries on the subject, Theroux meets with several former members, including Mark Rathbun, who had once been high-ranking members of the church. Throughout the film, Theroux is followed by mysterious cars and confronted by agents of the church who attempt to harass and disrupt his film. He uses actors to reenact events former members describe to him and the documentary has a darkly funny tone throughout. It’s a fresh take on a well-covered subject.

5 Waco: The Rules Of Engagement (1997)

Buildings burning during the Waco siege.
  • Waco: The Rules of Engagement is available to stream on Kanopy

Waco: The Rules of Engagement recounts the 51-day standoff between members of the FBI and the Branch Davidians at their compound in Waco, Texas, which led to a siege that claimed the lives of four federal agents and 82 members of the cult. Led by David Koresh, the Branch Davidians were a religious group that believed Koresh was their prophet. While many contend the government was not to blame for the escalation that led to the siege, this documentary, like the best cult documentaries, challenges assumed narratives. With never before seen footage, the documentary depicts a darker side of the FBI and videos suggest they may have opened fire first.

4 Jonestown: The Life And Death Of The Peoples Temple (2006)

Jim Jones leading a congregation in Jonestown The Life and Death of Peoples Temple.
  • Jonestown: The Life And Death Of The Peoples Temple is not available for streaming

Founded by Reverend Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple was a religious group founded with the idea of equality for all. However, the group's goal was shattered when nearly 1,000 people, including Jones, committed "revolutionary suicide" in 1978 in Jonestown, Guyana. The cult documentary Jonestown: The Life and Death Of The Peoples Temple recounts Jones' humble beginnings and the founding of the cult. Several members speak out about their experiences, including Jones' son, Stephen. This is one of the best cult documentaries on the unbelievable story of Jonestown thanks to its adherence to facts over sensationalism and its impartial look at the members of the cult and Jones himself.

3 The Vow (2020)

Keith Raniere and an acolyte wearing NXIVM gear and cheering.
  • The Vow is available to stream on Max

The Vow is a cult documentary TV series that depicts NXIVM and its leader Keith Raniere who founded the group as a self-improvement community before his true colors were revealed. There are two seasons of the show, with the first featuring interviews with former members and showing the build-up of NXIVM from a personal development company into a cult, helmed by Raniere. The second season follows Raniere’s trial for racketeering and sexual abuse and probes deeper into the cult. It’s an intense story, and The Vow works to show every angle through an empathetic lens.

2 Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief (2015)

Scientology Building in Los Angeles
  • Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief is available to stream on Max

In 2015, the cult documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief made serious waves in pop culture, winning three Emmy Awards and exposing the dark side of the Church of Scientology. It deconstructs some of founder L. Ron Hubbard's claims and sheds light on the relationship between the church and its celebrity members. The documentary uncovers many of the alleged cases of abuse by the church, such as child labor and financial malfeasance. It mixes shocking archive footage with dramatic reconstructions built using the information compiled from eight former Scientologists.

RELATED: The 10 Most Dangerous Cults In Movies & TV, Ranked

1 Wild, Wild Country (2018)

An image of people praying from Wild Wild Country documentary
  • Wild, Wild Country is available to stream on Netflix

This cult documentary Netflix series follows the Rajneeshpurams as they clash with locals in a remote Oregon town. The conflict escalates, due in part to firebrand lieutenant Ma Anand Sheela, who is interviewed in Switzerland for the documentary, where she still lives. The documentary depicts the founding of the group by guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh with impressively intimate footage. Several former members of the group speak about why they joined, what it was really like on the inside, and how things escalated so quickly. Many of the former members still contend they were the ones who were victimized, and the Rajneeshpuram group was unfairly targeted by law enforcement.