If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.
When Netflix’s docu-series Wild Wild Country, we fell down the rabbit hole of the Rajneesh movement. Then, once you’ve made it through the entire six-part series, it’s impossible to stave off your curiosity about other cults. What is it that makes certain people susceptible to such polarizing pedagogy? What leads a person to the “calling” of a cult leader? And, most pressingly, can binge-watching documentaries about real-life cults offer any insight into the bizarre worlds inhabited by such people?
The lives of members of infamous cults, like the one chronicled in Wild Wild Country, make compelling fodder for limited television series and TV movies. So, you be the judge. Thanks to streaming giants like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, it’s easier than ever to take a psychedelic trip into the belief systems of cult leaders and their followers.
We’ve gleaned quite a few mind-blowing examples to get you started. But be forewarned, the following documentaries may leave you with more questions than answers.
-
‘Wild Wild Country’
Image Credit: ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection An oft-forgotten piece of American history, the Oregon cult formed by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in the ’80s made it abundantly clear why separation of church and state is so important (read: poisoning people to win an election is always a bad idea). The personalities examined in this jaw-dropping docu-series are so unfathomably eccentric that you almost forget that they’re real, not fictional characters.
Watch it on Netflix.
-
‘Children of God: Lost and Found’
Image Credit: Getty Images This documentary won’t just blow your mind — it will break your heart, too. Filmmaker and reformed Children of God cult member Noah Thompson bravely seeks out other families whose lives were fractured by sexual abuse and bondage that children endured as part of “The Family.” Interesting fact: Both Rose McGowan and Joaquin Phoenix were born into this cult but escaped with relatives before any lasting damage was done.
-
‘The Source Family’
Image Credit: Gravitas Ventures/Courtesy Everett Collection Father Yod: That’s how Jim Baker was known to his followers, who subscribed to their founder’s hippy-dippy, hedonistic principles. In real life, he was a restaurateur and rumored bank robber — a man who accumulated people in an attempt to validate his bizarre delusions.
Watch it on Tubi.
-
‘Waco: The Rules of Engagement’
Image Credit: Corbis via Getty Images Could the 1993 tragedy in Waco, Texas, have been prevented? William Gazecki’s Oscar-nominated 1997 documentary immerses viewers in the Branch Davidians cult formed by David Koresh, as well as the standoff that resulted in the death of federal agents and 76 members of the religious sect.
Watch it on Netflix.
-
‘Going Clear’
Image Credit: Hulton Archive Considered the definitive Scientology documentary, Alex Gibney’s examination of the religion’s history and controversial founder will leave you dumbfounded. The fact that several high-profile celebrities still openly identify as Scientologists? That may be just as mysterious as the tenets discussed in Going Clear.
Watch it on Tubi.
-
‘Heaven’s Gate: The Untold Story’
Image Credit: Sygma via Getty Images Arguably one of the best-known cults, Heaven’s Gate was a religious sect based out of San Diego that believed in, well, aliens. Confident that a UFO would save them all from certain death and deliver them to some existential plane of existence, 39 members participated in a mass suicide. Spoiler alert: The extraterrestrials didn’t show.
-
‘Holy Hell’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Watch Will Allen’s documentary about the Buddhafield movement, and you’ll walk away with a serious case of the heebie-jeebies. A member of the cult for 22 years, Allen provides a chilling behind-the-scenes glimpse into life under founder Michel Rostand — who was eventually found to be guilty of forcing young men to have sex with him.
Watch it on Tubi.
-
‘Jamestown: The Life and Death of People’s Temple’
Image Credit: Getty Images Ever hear someone described as “drinking the Kool-Aid”? The saying comes from the story of polygamist fundamentalist Jim Jones and his People’s Temple. In 1978, the cult leader and almost all of his 900 followers committed mass suicide at their Guyana settlement by sipping poisoned drinks. Amy Berg’s documentary includes interviews with former members as well as survivors of that fateful day.
Watch it on Netflix.
-
‘Manson’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection If your skin doesn’t crawl while watching this chilling 1973 documentary about Charles Manson, you’re made of stronger stuff than us, friend. Go inside the Manson Family’s Devil’s Canyon compound with filmmakers Robert Hendrickson and Laurence Merrick for an unforgettable look at this murderous cult.
-
‘AUM: The Cult at the End of the World’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection AUM: The Cult at the End of the World is quite shocking, and quite disturbing as we hear the story of Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult from the 90s. If this cult sounds familiar, it’s the cult that was behind the chemical domestic terrorist attack on March 1995, in Tokyo.
-
‘The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping’
Image Credit: ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping is a very traumatic watch. We know it’s a docuseries rather than a documentary, but it’s a must-watch. It follows a woman “haunted by her teenage experience at a troubled youth program,” per IMDb. Now what program? It’s the same one Paris Hilton was kidnapped into, and has used her celebrity status to help protect children from the pain she experienced at the same program.
Watch it on Netflix.
-
‘Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence’
Image Credit: ©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection In the 2023 docuseries, Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence, a group of Sarah Lawrence College students are influenced by Larry Ray, the father of a student. It goes into the whole story, from the beginning to what’s happening today to the victims.
-
‘Escaping Twin Flames’
Image Credit: ©Amazon/Courtesy Everett Collection Get ready for a wild ride because in Netflix’s Escaping Twin Flames we learn about the controversial Twin Flames Universe, a matchmaking service founded by Shaleia and Jeff Divine, that preyed on people looking for love. It’s one of those wellness cults, and former members are revealing it all.
Watch it on Netflix.
-
‘Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed’
Image Credit: Fairfax Media via Getty Images You’ve probably heard of Hillsong since it’s been in the news for years for its controversial views and former celebrity members like Justin Bieber, the Kardashian-Jenner clan, and Vanessa Hudgens — but this documentary goes further.. In Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, we hear from several ex-members of the church who share allegations of the trauma, abuse, and more from the megachurch.
Watch it on HBO.
More Stories from Entertainment
