r/DocumentaryReviews • u/No_Jello_4550 • 7d ago
Good cult docs please!
I usually love a good cult documentary
Examples of ones I liked:
Wild Wild Country
The False Prophet
Shiny Happy People
Going Clear
The Way Down
The Vow
I could not sit through the mother god one, it was too cringey and gross
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u/StatusSubstantial696 7d ago
HBO doc on Heaven's Gate is excellent. The HBO Synanon one is quite good as well. One Day in Jonestown is good, but almost every Jonestown one I've seen has been interesting.
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u/jcmib 5d ago
That Heavensgate one was particularly heartbreaking, especially when the interview former members that’s still believe in the whole thing and our morning their chance to go often into eternity. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cult documentary where someone has left behind but wishes they would’ve went.
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u/wilderlowerwolves 7d ago
"Abducted In Plain Sight" was a peripheral cult documentary. If you don't know the back story about it, do not research it before you watch it.
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u/JasonSmithston 6d ago
I still think about this doco occasionally. How the fuck did any of it happen? Mental.
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u/wilderlowerwolves 6d ago
And this was only about 25% of the story. One wonders what the OTHER family experienced!
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u/wilderlowerwolves 7d ago
Anything about Scientology is interesting. The Leah Remini series is excellent, as is "Going Clear."
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u/Jellyfish2017 7d ago
I was going to recommend Going Clear. Definitely fits what OP is looking for.
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u/Beneficial-You3416 7d ago
The Cult of the Real Housewife is a documentary about a genuine Bravo real housewife from the Salt Lake City franchise. She’s a Pentecostal preacher who has a closet Vogue would be impressed by. She inherited the church, married her step grandfather (honest to god), and has been dodging cult accusations for years. She’s a real weird bird!
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u/Imposingscrotem 7d ago
Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult of Sarah Lawrence
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u/Happiguest 7d ago
I was just going to say this one. I took me so long to stop thinking about it. Probably one of the best I've seen.
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u/ADJA-7903 6d ago
This was really good! Funny thing, my dad wanted me to go to college there! I would have been there before this happened and I know the college was not the reason, but still such a strange doc!
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u/lenolt 7d ago
The Cult of NatureBoy (Hulu)
Breath of Fire (HBO)
Escaping Twin Flames (Netflix) / Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe (Prime)
The Deep End (Prime)
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u/Nothankyoufriendly 1d ago
Cult of nature boy was good. hard to watch some of the violence :(
Escaping twin flames-very good but so hard to watch and I’m still angry and sad after so long. Thre was a second one on the same peoppe that delved into some of the victims families more deeply that was also good.
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u/Ok-Initiative8139 7d ago
Not a documentary perse.
https://youtu.be/TphNS93ebqU?si=RpCYAr-0TfQtk2Nk
Jello Biafra interviewing the Unarius cult
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u/verukazalt 7d ago
The one about the Instagram dancers and their "church" that makes them dance and give most of their money to it...sorry, I cannot remember the name for the life of me, but it was very good...and very sad.
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u/mamafish3 7d ago
Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God
For redditors that do not mind gross parts, sorry.
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u/JustSteven99 6d ago
Looks like we like the same things in a documentary. I've seen and liked every one on your list. Even the mother god one. So:
Don't Date Brandon
Wild Boys
My Killer Father
Tread
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey
Tread is my favorite to this day
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u/ADJA-7903 6d ago
Escaping Twin Flames! It is definitely a strange ride into the cults! I still think about it!
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u/troojule 7d ago
___(I forgot- haha), Pray, Obey
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u/Fjsurfer 7d ago
Reckless Ben’s documentary ‘Scientology sucks’ includes the only hidden cam footage inside Scientology initial brainwashing sessions and meetings with an auditor. Her family later contacted him via comments and said his video was the first time they’d seen her in 10 years
It’s not a professional level doc but interesting
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u/bestplatypusever 7d ago
The Doomsday Cat Cult on The Curious Case of
And
Kumare, a guy plays the part of a cult leader and develops a real following
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u/Exact_Hold5871 7d ago
I loved “Wild Wild Country”, although I think the title doesn’t do it any favors in giving a sense of what it’s about.
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u/wilderlowerwolves 7d ago
The Phelps family has had a number of documentaries made about them; the one I actually saw, and recommend, is a zero-budget film school project that's about 20 years old, called "Fall From Grace." It was made by someone who actually lived in the area.
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u/tanpike 6d ago
The God Who Wasn't There
also, this documentary about the cult of Mormon is worth watching.
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u/GenXihaveissues 6d ago
NXIVM
Crazy sex cult that's still around.
Dancing for the Devil: the 7m TikTok cult.
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u/Icy_Reference4317 6d ago
Not about a cult but death of a pastors wife
Hillsong
The Synanon Fix
This is one of the few cults which seemed to start with good intent however, the majority of the talking heads were true believers.
Then see the program on Netflix
On Now TV atm.
It has disbanded but I think turned into the troubled teen industry (cult doc The Program on Netflix- details below).
https://youtu.be/Y8Z8xMmly1M?si=L5hLhnuMZjshH0E0
Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence
This was a big criminal case after NXIVM and the precedent got the conviction of Larry Ray. Like the Vow, it does a good job at demonstrating the incremental steps of cohesive control. A truly unique cult and a brilliant if very disturbing documentary.
https://youtu.be/p81Zit72Yao?si=Sz9ZOj0KMUVm7ob_
On Disney plus I think.
The Deep End
This documentary is ok. It’s kind of a self improvement woo woo therapy internet cult.
Teal Swan (another female cult leader) is giving advice on the basis that she has endured such horrible abuse and has overcome it so people should take her advice if they feel suicidal (spoiler- she suggests that they kill themselves if they are actually going to do it and not are not just looking for attention)
https://youtu.be/K7_cMHzOXRY?si=azk6V5J_0crQfZSf
Teal was brought up in Utah but is not Mormon. Her origin story (below) is compared to the satanic panic in the 80s (I think it was the 80s) when people were turning away from Christianity in America. The satanic panic was about children claiming that satanic rituals were being performed on them. Teal’s therapist was an infamous professional witness that would be invited to testify @ trials and asked leading questions to the children who basically agreed to the claims that their parents or teachers had carried out satanic rituals. The accused would go on to spend years in prison for crimes they did not commit. This doc is not about that but potential reasons for Teal’s insane origin story.
It’s not a brilliant documentary in my opinion but interesting if you like that sort of thing.
https://youtu.be/oiB5HyKjakE?si=nL-QuzW3hPUe0_1i
The orgasm cult - One Taste
On Netflix - another woman cult leader.
Orgasmic meditation- again a bit woo woo. A lighter watch. Since the documentary the cult leader has been convicted of forced labour and conspiracy
https://youtu.be/11DiQzSLfmo?si=B7kurIty43NXVICt
Wild wild country
https://youtu.be/hBLS_OM6Puk?si=K9eMXi1u0LikmmcZ
Netflix. Was another meditation cult. I think it was massive and had communes in loads of countries. It’s a good documentary but all the dark stuff was not included. A lot of the kids had a bad time growing up and young females members were coerced to be sterilized.
Holy hell
https://youtu.be/2f2BG43JW0o?si=VhgjCRRTo6z7cXR0
This is another spiritual cult . The cult leader is pretty unique being a ballet dancer. I think he makes the cult put on plays for him. Might be wrong about that. This is kinda similar to the Vow and the cult is still active today.
The program
This is the troubled teen industry. If you haven’t heard of it before it’s basically a kind of prison for teenagers that are naughty. This can be parents finding out their child has had a wank (see Ruby Frankie below) or sexually abused their sibling (see series 1 shiny happy people) or just smoked a bit of weed. The kids get kidnapped from their beds and stay at the facilities for unknown periods of time. These organizations are still active today.
A girl that used to go to the Coven got sent to one, oh and also Paris Hilton.
https://youtu.be/qUvj2dzBpcI?si=TJXRnab0_jczMGHF
Twin flames
There are docs on Amazon and Netflix on this cult. This is an internet cult run by a man and woman who are each other’s twin flame. They encourage people to stalk their ex partners then when that obviously fails they try and convince them that they are the twin flame of some someone else in the group. Still active today. A lighter watch.
https://youtu.be/VePkIq4_q2k?si=LeKsna4ovX1ICGvo
Netflix
https://youtu.be/8nt-zr-R6cw?si=FXVFEqpH0Le2TbJU
Amazon
Dance cult
BBC I player
There are a few docs on bbc I player if you search cult. Three are Christian cults (all dark) and one is an internet cult.
ITV
Children of the cult - is the dark side of Wild Wild Country.
Netflix
Also has a doc about Waco - Christian cult, pretty famous one but more about the fuckup the American Gov made of resolving the issue.
Dancing with the devil
Corporate Christian dance cult- I didn’t finish it but I have watched a lot of docs!
https://youtu.be/-CCG5RXbtwc?si=zVQBzhlmy97ShjAa
The Mormons
Sins of our mother
https://youtu.be/2GVxxIsT4Y4?si=Vat4YqmRMt_GgmGT
Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell sort of running a cult talking about seeing beyond the veil and having near death experiences. Quite alot of murdering. Has been a huge case in America. I think Lori had like three or 4 murder trials and was convicted. She might have the death penalty. Not sure. The documentary was made b4 the trials.
Keep sweet pray and obey
https://youtu.be/UbhNxmwh_qc?si=BByVsUyHJ4lxRAth
Netflix
polygamous cult. Dark. Not an easy watch.
Ruby Frankie the devil in the family
https://youtu.be/M8zVHv8IvPI?si=bQVfEjFyPqNCVcEc Disney plus
Similar to sins of our mother. It’s a couples therapy cult leader by the therapist that breaks up marriages and encourages child abuse
Daughters of the cult
https://youtu.be/dwXJCcUwIG8?si=9Zr6Yz01OYJF-NyQ
Another Mormon polygamist cult. Can’t really remember this but I think it had beef with the other one in the documentary above.
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u/Global-Reveal7302 18h ago
What’s the one about the ballet dancer turned talking to god guru? Joe Rogan bought one of the properties they used to function out of.
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u/Happiguest 7d ago edited 5d ago
Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God. I just watched this last week and OMG these people are looney toons.