Cult Documentaries
A list of documentaries about cults
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46 titles
- StarsVernon GosneyLeslie Wagner-WilsonTim CarterDocuseries looking back on the Jonestown Massacre on the 40th anniversary.
- StarsJanja LalichBenjamin ZellerRobert BalchA comprehensive analysis of the UFO cult. The disappearance of 20 people, and the largest suicide on U.S. soil. Forever changing the face of modern era religion.
- StarsNatasha PavlovichCarey WingerdGlen WingerdFollows the Remnant Fellowship Church, exploring the fame and power of its leader Gwen Shambling Lara as a diet guru and church leader, and the truth behind her carefully-curated image, detailing the church's controversial practices.
- StarsSarah EdmondsonMark VicenteBonnie PiesseA look at the experiences of the members of the NXIVM, an organization and sex cult that made headlines for being charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and conspiracy.
- StarsCatherine OxenbergIndia OxenbergJanja LalichSeduced follows India Oxenberg's abuse and her own culpability inside the NXIVM cult, an organization marketed as a self-help group.
- StarsAmanda CoffmanJodi GrahamChip HellmanA self-help group simply looking to improve their lives soon finds themselves subjected to a megalomaniac leader who blackmailed, brainwashed, and branded his female members.
- StarsLeah ReminiMike RinderMary KahnA series featuring stories from former members of the Church of Scientology whose lives have been affected by the Church's alleged harmful practices.
- StarsElissa WallMike WatkissRebecca MusserExamines the rise of Warren Jeffs in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and his shocking criminal case.
- StarsMa Anand SheelaPhilip ToelkesJane StorkWhen Osho, the world's most controversial guru, builds an Utopian city deep in the Oregon country, conflict with the locals escalates into a national scandal.
- StarsMike CarusoChris UrquhartElizabeth Stuart-MorrisTold by survivors, news clips and audio recordings of David Koresh. It tells the story of how he rose to power as their "prophet" and then fell from glory in the standoff and fire that made history.
- StarsSimone McKnewA two-part series that examines the plague of sex abuse in the Amish community and the broken criminal justice system that has failed to protect the victims.
- A group of Sarah Lawrence College students fall under the influence of a friend's father, Larry Ray. The series follows the cult from its origins through its still-unfolding aftermath.
- DirectorEric SanterreStarsKim HandysidesJacques St-PierreArnaud BédatTemplar capes, luminous swords, rituals and speeches, OTS meetings would look like a fair if the sect had not been one of the most deadly in history.
- CreatorDrew DowdleJohn Erick DowdleStarsMichael ShannonGiovanni RibisiKeean JohnsonFive-part drama series portraying the searing aftermath of the disastrous Waco standoff at the Branch Davidian compound - an event that galvanized American militia movements and helped radicalize Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.
- DirectorWill AllenStarsWill AllenDimitrius PulidoPhillipe CoquetAn inside look at Buddhafield, a West Hollywood cult formed by a charismatic teacher in the 1980s that eventually imploded.
- DirectorMaria DemopoulosJodi WilleStarsAhom AquarianIsis AquarianDon BollesA charismatic leader founds a commune in Los Angeles in the early '70s based on natural food, spiritual practices and psychedelic rock. This short-lived era is recreated with archival material and the memories of participants.
- DirectorJohn SmithsonStarsHelen MirrenSylvia PadillaDebbie PadillaA family describes their time within a religious cult, one that perpetuated pedophilia, sexual abuse, and prostitution.
- DirectorAmy BergStarsNick CaveElaine AndersonSam BrowerWhen Warren Jeffs rose to Prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, he took control of a religion with a history of polygamous and underage marriage. In a short time, Warren managed to expand these practices and the power of his position in unprecedented ways. He bridged the gap between sister wives and ecclesiastical rape, befuddling the moral compass of his entire congregation. The film examines Warren Jeffs' life and shows how he became a worshiped and adored Prophet. Warren has a devout following numbering in the tens of thousands, many of whom would give their life at any moment with just one word from the Prophet. Despite a trail of abuse and ruined lives, Warren has maintained his grip on power.
- DirectorBen AnthonyStarsAlex HannafordDanielle SayerEsther SayerMichael Travesser says he's the Messiah and that God has told him the world will end with an apocalyptic event at midnight on 31 October 2007. As leader of a cult in a remote corner of New Mexico called Strong City, this 66-year-old former sailor, previously called Wayne Bent, has spent nearly 20 years preparing his 56 unquestioning and devoted followers for Doomsday. They say they are all preparing for death, to go to a better place. As the programme delves into the world of Strong City, the program find out whether Michael Travesser is about to lead his cult to suicide. Will this be another tragedy like Jonestown or Waco? Or is Travesser just a skilful manipulator, who undermines his subjects before convincing them that he is the route to all wisdom? Our world did not come to an end on 31 October 2007 - but did theirs?
- StarsCarl LentzDan AdlerAlex FrenchExploring one of America's most successful megachurches and the investigative reporting that lead to the dismissal of two prominent pastors.
- StarsElizabeth VargasTeddy HoseStephen KentA look inside the mysterious world of organized cults.
- CreatorJason BolickiStarsTheresa CroftNathalie FrederickJess CaglePeople Magazine Investigates: Cults explores shocking stories of ordinary people who, lured by promises of eternal life, get caught up in a terrifying web of abuse, deception, and manipulation. PEOPLE journalists cover the deeply disturbing world of cults through the eyes of survivors who managed to escape.
- StarsAmanda KnoxLara FoxRoger HervasDocuseries based on the life of televangelist Tony Alamo.
- DirectorBill PerrineStarsRuth NormanCharles SpiegelLani CalvertUsing rare archival footage and interviews, Children of the Stars chronicles a UFO contactee group as they relive their past lives on other planets by making their own science fiction films.
- StarsPeter DinklageLola BlancDiane BenscoterLook inside the cult leader's playbook for achieving unconditional love, endless devotion and the power to control people's minds, bodies and souls.
- DirectorRoger Ross WilliamsAn account of the American Evangelicals' attempts to indoctrinate their Christian Right beliefs in Uganda.
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsMike PapantonioLou EngleBecky FischerA documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
- DirectorAmy BergStarsOliver O'GradyThomas DoyleAdamDocumentary about Father Oliver O'Grady, a Catholic priest who was relocated to various parishes around the United States during the 1970s in an attempt by the Catholic Church to cover up his rape of dozens of children.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsPaul HaggisJason BegheSpanky TaylorA documentary looking at the inner-workings of the Church of Scientology.
- StarsBraelyn CarvilleBrooklyn RobinsonRegan SenterThrough exclusive interviews and firsthand accounts, this shocking investigative special reveals the stories of four former Jehovah's Witnesses who share details of the sexual abuse they suffered during their time within the organization.
- DirectorSteven AlbanyStarsSteven L. AndersonLillian LeBaron ChynowethAdam FanninIndependent documentary exposing the bizarre teachings of the LDS Church, which portrays itself as part of mainstream Christianity.
- StarsAnne Hamilton-ByrneLex de ManBill Hamilton-ByrneAbout the Melbourne-based cult The Family, which was led by the charming and dangerous Anne Hamilton-Byrne: a yoga teacher who claimed to be Jesus Christ reincarnated. Instead of serving wine and bread, Hamilton-Byrne fed LSD to her disciples - adopted children raised as her own throughout the 60s and 70s. She dressed them in identical clothes and haircuts; they resembled the pipsqueaks from "Village of the Damned".
- Andrew Cohen was one of the most notorious gurus in recent history. His organization, EnlightenNext, collected millions of dollars from devotees. But soon stories emerged of psychological abuse, extortion and coercive control.
- Chronicles the life and death of Amy Carlson, also known as Mother God, a self-proclaimed spiritual savior who built a cult through her online manifestos and live-streaming sessions.
- StarsJanja LalichArceliaSarah BermanExplores the story of Jeff and Shaleia Divine, the leaders of Twin Flames Universe who sell online classes that guarantee harmonious union with your destined partner, a controversial online community that preys on people looking for love.
- 20233 epsTV-MA6.8 (673)TV Mini SeriesStarsAlice HinesArceliaMarie-SophieThree-part docuseries unveiling the dark truths behind the Twin Flames Universe, an alleged online love cult.
- StarsTeal SwanMolly MonahanAn arresting and provocative exploration inside the world of one of today's most controversial spiritual teachers and her dedicated followers.
- DirectorRobert PalumboDavid BisphamStarsJem Kai OlsenAlexa HeronHarriet JacksonFollow the shocking and unnerving story of Larry Ray and how he brainwashed students of Sarah Lawrence College into an abusive sex cult that upended their lives, and the lives of their families.
- DirectorFergus GradyNoel SmythStarsVirginia CourageDennis GatesLiz GregoryWhen widespread abuse is uncovered at a New Zealand cult, a family must turn to the legal system in an effort to save themselves and their community from the all powerful leaders.
- StarsVerity CarterCeleste JonesHope BastineExplores the world's most notorious and prolific cults Children of God, through the stories of three British women who escaped its clutches.
- DirectorNeil RawlesStarsRyan BlakelyMeredith CheesbroughSascha ColeFollows Charles Manson's 'Family' member Linda Kasabian, and her story to what when on at Spahn's Movie Ranch and the final days leading up to the grisly 1969 Tate/La Bianca murders.
- DirectorRosie JonesStarsSung Yun ChoLex de ManJordan Fraser-TrumbleAn incendiary, heartbreaking investigation into one of Australia's most notorious cults, and the scars its survivors still bear today.
- StarsJimmy DempsterBarry PeavyAdolfo ConstanzoIt recounts each case through interviews with the investigators, former cult members, and family and friends closest to the victims.
- DirectorJake YoungmanYoungman Films new documentary feature, "The Cult Next Door" is scheduled for release in early 2017. The film investigates Bill Gothard, the founder of The Institute in Basic Life Principles located in Oak Brook Illinois. His cult like teachings urged followers to shun things like short skirts and rock music. Gothard and leaders in his ministry are accused of sexual abuse, harassment and cover-up. Gothard, who urged Christians to focus on their "biblical character" and have large families, has never himself been married.
- DirectorBen BraunChiaki YanagimotoOn March 20,1995 a deadly gas attack in Tokyo subway sent nation and its people into chaos. This exploration of Aum Shinrikyo, who is responsible for attack, involves the participation of those who lived through the horror as it unfolded.
- StarsCassidy ArkinAn account of one woman's quest to learn the truth about Synanon, the experimental group that developed into a major cult.