Best Cult Films
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- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorDon ArgottStarsDan ReynoldsAja VolkmanBen McKeeBeliever.
- 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.
- CreatorAnna WingerStarsShira HaasAmit RahavJeff WilbuschStory of a young ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman who flees her arranged marriage and religious community to start a new life abroad.
- CreatorDrew DowdleJohn Erick DowdleStarsMichael ShannonTaylor KitschAndrea RiseboroughThe FBI and ATF seize religious leader David Koresh's Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas in the spring of 1993.
- StarsVernon GosneyLeslie Wagner-WilsonTim CarterDocuseries looking back on the Jonestown Massacre on the 40th anniversary.
- 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.
- 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.
- StarsElizabeth VargasTeddy HoseStephen KentA look inside the mysterious world of organized cults.
- 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.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsPaul HaggisJason BegheSpanky TaylorA documentary looking at the inner-workings of the Church of Scientology.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsJoaquin PhoenixPhilip Seymour HoffmanAmy AdamsA Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the Cause and its charismatic leader.
- StarsGemma HoskinsAbbie SchaubVirginia AnzengruberA seven-part docuseries about the unsolved murder of a nun and the horrific secrets and pain that linger nearly five decades after her death.
- DirectorSkye BorgmanStarsJan BrobergBob BrobergMary Ann BrobergThe twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction true story of the Brobergs, a naive, church-going Idaho family that fell under the spell of a sociopathic neighbor with designs on their twelve-year-old daughter.
- StarsDorie Hofmann OldsShannon FlynnBrent MetcalfeHigh-stakes exploits turn deadly - and shake a global church to its core - in the extraordinary true crime story.
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsMike PapantonioLou EngleBecky FischerA documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
- DirectorWill AllenStarsWill AllenDimitrius PulidoPhillipe CoquetAn inside look at Buddhafield, a West Hollywood cult formed by a charismatic teacher in the 1980s that eventually imploded.
- DirectorLarry CharlesStarsBill MaherTal BachmanJonathan BouldenBill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsAlex GibneyTerry KohutGary SmithAlex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all the way to the Vatican.
- 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.
- DirectorTyler MeasomJustin WeinsteinStarsJames RandiPenn JilletteTellerThe life and career of the renowned stage magician turned scientific skeptic of the paranormal, James Randi.
- 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.
- DirectorTyler MeasomJennilyn MertenStarsBruce BarlowDeloy BatemanMichelle BenwardAn inside look at former FLDS teens who have become religious refugees in mainstream America.
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsEttyChani GetterAri HershkowitzPenetrating the insular world of New York's Hasidic community, focusing on three individuals driven to break away despite threats of retaliation.
- DirectorKristine StolakisStarsYvette Cantu SchneiderMichael BusseeJohn PaulkFormer leaders of the "pray the gay away" movement contend with the aftermath unleashed by their actions, while a survivor seeks healing and acceptance from more than a decade of trauma.
- DirectorWilliam GazeckiStarsDan GiffordJim CavanaughDick DeGuerinA reassessment of the tragedy at Waco that left 76 members of the Branch Davidian religious sect dead.
- DirectorStanley NelsonStarsRebecca MooreJanet ShularTim CarterFeaturing never-before-seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the Peoples Temple, headed by preacher Jim Jones who, in 1978, led more than 900 members to Guyana, where he orchestrated a mass suicide via tainted punch.
- DirectorJohn SmithsonStarsHelen MirrenSylvia PadillaDebbie PadillaA family describes their time within a religious cult, one that perpetuated pedophilia, sexual abuse, and prostitution.
- DirectorAri AsterStarsFlorence PughJack ReynorVilhelm BlomgrenA couple travels to Northern Europe to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
- StarsJeff SharletJames CromwellDoug HamptonAn enigmatic Christian group known as The Family wields enormous influence in Washington, DC, in pursuit of its global ambitions.
- DirectorGeorge RatliffStarsAria AdlooAshley AdlooAmy AllredEach Halloween, youth members of Trinity Church, Texas construct a 'Hell House'; a modern-day fire-and-brimstone sermon, presented in the form of a haunted house, seen by over 10,000 visitors each year.
- 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.
- DirectorRussell BarnesStarsYousef Al-KhattabRichard DawkinsTed HaggardRichard Dawkins' highly critical documentary attacks the pulsing heart of all mainstream religion- faith; with special focus on Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Contains repeated references to sectorial schools as child abuse and faith as the stepping stone to terrorist activity.
- DirectorIrene TaylorStarsJames DaleThe Boy Scouts Of America reached a $2.7 billion agreement over sex abuse claims, the largest such settlement in history.
- 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.
- CreatorDustin Lance BlackStarsAndrew GarfieldSam WorthingtonDaisy Edgar-JonesA devout detective's faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder seemingly connected to an esteemed Utah family's spiral into LDS fundamentalism and their distrust in the government.
- DirectorRicky GervaisMatthew RobinsonStarsRicky GervaisJennifer GarnerJonah HillA comedy set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.
- StarsNaomi JessupNate CarlisleAaron ThompsonTells the story of polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs through the lens of his favorite wife Naomi Jessop.
- StarsTeal SwanMolly MonahanAn arresting and provocative exploration inside the world of one of today's most controversial spiritual teachers and her dedicated followers.
- Follows the inspirational journey of Sal and Lena as they navigate their way out of the church, out of their marriages, and into their authentic selves - all while co-parenting seven kids with their ex-husbands.
- DirectorSarah GibsonSloane KlevinStarsFrank FuYves GoreA sexual wellness company gains fame and followers for its practice of "orgasmic meditation" — until members come forward with disturbing allegations.
- DirectorJohn DowerStarsLouis TherouxTom CruiseMarty RathbunLouis Theroux documents his investigation into what goes on behind the scenes of the infamous Church of Scientology.
- DirectorEva OrnerStarsLarissa AndersonFrancesca AsumahSarah BaughnTracing from his rise in the 1970s to his disgrace in accusations of rape and sexual harassment in more recent years.
- DirectorBrian FlemmingStarsSam HarrisRobert M. PriceRichard CarrierDid Jesus exist? This film starts with that question, then goes on to examine Christianity as a whole.
- StarsRhonda SchwartzSochil MartinThe light of the world, described as a hermetic and non-traditional Christian and as several members recount the sexual abuse they suffered as minors at the hands of their successive leaders.
- StarsCarl LentzDan AdlerAlex FrenchExploring one of America's most successful megachurches and the investigative reporting that lead to the dismissal of two prominent pastors.
- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsSigourney WeaverWilliam HurtJoaquin PhoenixA series of events tests the beliefs of a small isolated countryside village.
- StarsDerick DillardJill Duggar DillardBrooke ArnoldDocuseries exploring the truth beneath the surface of reality TV's mega-family, The Duggars.
- StarsTroy DillingerDevin HalliwellMichael G. GabelFeatures several ex-members of the church who share harrowing allegations of the trauma, abuse, homophobia and financial and labor exploitation that created a culture of chaos at Hillsong.
- 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.
- StarsEric SkwarczynskiRuthy HeilerKathy DurbinLet Us Prey examines the pain of survivors' IFB members Ruthy Heiler, Kathy Durbin and Amanda Householder. Tell their stories of abuse at the hands of church leaders and the violence, manipulation and alleged cover-ups by other members.
- DirectorLiza WilliamsStarsNadine Louise GuerraraSteve CartisanoChris SmithOut-of-control teens across America were sent to a therapy camp in the harsh Utah desert. The conditions were brutal, but the staff were even worse.
- StarsBix KriegerChiyeko JonesIgor GrbesicBased on life of cult leader Ervil Morrell LeBaron, leader of a religious fundamentalist group who ordered the mass murders of his rivals by using the religious doctrine of blood atonement to justify the killings.
- DirectorDan PartlandStarsPhil VischerMarjorie Taylor GreeneKristin Kobes Du MezLooks at the implications of Christian Nationalism and how it distorts not only the constitutional republic, but Christianity itself.
- StarsKatherine KublerJanja LalichMaia SzalavitzInvestigative docuseries about a woman haunted by her teenage experience at a troubled youth program.