Redefining cult classics: The 10 documentaries carving out a new true crime niche

Publish date: 2024-07-14

Most of us find human behavior endlessly fascinating, as evidenced by the true crime obsession that has taken over streaming services. There are documentaries that cover everything from love, lies, and murder, to interviews with serial killers. Yet just when we thought we had seen it all, a new true crime niche is emerging, one that redefines how we think of the term “cult classics.”

In The Name of God: A Holy Betrayal – Netflix

Four Korean leaders put the term “blind faith” to the test as they push their followers to the limit in this new Netflix documentary. These four leaders who claim to be prophets amass many followers but soon their individual dark natures are revealed.

Jeong Myeong-seok claimed to have special powers of prophecy, yet women close to the now-former leader come forward in his riveting documentary to tell their chilling tales of the leader’s abuse — of power, and people, abuse that continued following Jeong Myeong-seok’s arrest in China and subsequent release. It was clear Jeong Myeong-seok felt he was untouchable — until he wasn’t. Meanwhile, Park Soon-Ja, also featured in the documentary, was another Korean leader whose true intentions were revealed. After being found dead with 31 others, her entire business operation and organization are called into question.

Kim Ki-Soon rose to power to begin the infamous “Baby Garden” commune. The documentary interviews former members who had more than a few stories about the deplorable conditions and treatment they endured. The commune even resulted in several deaths, leading to Kim Ki-Soon’s arrest. Last but not least, Pastor Lee Jae-rock touts his miraculous healing abilities, and has gained international acclaim for his Manmin Central Church. Yet with new-found fame, come new-found problems. He began soliciting extravagant gifts, which soon turned into favors of the sexual kind. Finally, he found himself on trial for sexual assault.

These four leaders, although different, had one very important thing in common; their depravity. Not to mention their willingness — and unique ability — to manipulate others for their own gain. It is a fascinating tale of how even faith can be used as a weapon.

The Way Down – HBO Max

Just when you thought you’d seen it all, here comes a cult that began as a weight loss solution, but somehow ended with murder. Gwen Shamblin is the creator of The Weigh Down Approach, which began as a Christian-based book and weight loss solution whereby the participants “gave their hunger to God,” so to speak. Unfortunately, the group’s philosophy did not end there. Before long, Gwen had started her own religion, The Remnant Fellowship, a group that still looked to the scale as a direct link to a relationship with the divine.

Then things really got weird. Members began being punished for not meeting weight loss goals and being “off message.” Yet things went further downhill when Shamblin began introducing her unusual and over-the-top discipline methods that ultimately resulted in the death of a child. Soon after, Gwen grew tired of her overweight husband, divorced him (although her church did not allow divorce), and married former Tarzan, Joe Lara. The former actor joined Gwen at the church’s podium and they even tried to start their own reality TV show, but with little success.

Eventually, in a very bizarre flying accident, Gwen along with Joe and several of the other church leaders were killed when their plane went down in Percy Priest Lake. It was an especially ironic ending to an especially strange story, as Gwen herself often preached how bad things happening in a person’s life were a sign of God’s retribution.

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey – Netflix

Netflix’s Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is an especially sordid story centered around the church-turned-cult leader Warren Jeffs as he rose to power within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), an offshoot of the Mormon Church. The documentary follows the death of Warren’s father Rulon Jeffs, Warren’s rise to the top, and his eventual descent into madness.

While plural marriage was always a tenet of the FLDS philosophy, Jeff’s interpretation and additions to the tenets took things to a very sinister place. He lowered the marriageable age of the women (to literal childhood), increased the number of wives he could have (to roughly 78), and instituted a strict dress and behavior code. Once he began work on the Yearning For Zion Ranch, a new settlement for his group in Texas, he began to shuttle over his “chosen” followers, which mainly included young girls and obedient women. The documentary interviews several of the former members and children of the members and gives a dark and in-depth look at the monster behind the man.

Actual voice recordings of some of the church’s secret “ceremonies” are played during the documentary, and it is simply too shocking to be believed. Check out this “cult classic” on Netflix and see for yourself.

The Vow – HBO Max

Notorious for high-profile celebrities and even higher-profile scandals, this documentary digs deep to reveal the inner workings of the notorious NXIVM cult. NXIVM began as a “professional development” group started by Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman, but what started as a seemingly innocuous self-improvement organization, soon took a dark turn. Bodily harm, sex trafficking, and master manipulation were revealed as the truth behind NXIVM as it began to unravel. In a story stranger than fiction, it slowly came to light that the group’s leader, Keith Raniere, had his own dark motivations. He created a sub-cult called Dos for women, where there existed “masters” and “slaves,” and bizarre practices of starvation and even branding soon followed.

All of this was hidden behind a shiny veneer of status. The group included several celebrity members; most notoriously, former Smallville actress Allison Mack, as well as Clare and Sara Bronfman, sisters who are the heiresses of Seagram’s gin, and India Oxenberg, the daughter of actress Catherine Oxenberg, and granddaughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. In fact, a large part of the documentary details India’s mother Catherine’s desperate attempts to free her daughter from the cult, and Keith Raniere’s hold. Another actress, Nicki Cline of Battlestar Galactica was also a member and became part of the NXIVM Five, a small group of members who stood by Keith during his trial and incarceration.

The leaders were arrested, including Keith, Nancy Salzman, her daughter Lauren Salzman, and Allison Mack. Raniere was ultimately convicted and given a 120-year sentence for federal sex trafficking, racketeering, and possession of CSEM (child sex abuse material, also colloquially known as child pornography). The documentary covers NXIVM’s genesis all the way to its downfall, the court trials, and convictions. It is a wild ride with plot twists and turns that better fit in a fiction novel than in a newspaper headline, however, this cult and its story are all too real. Check it out on HBO Max.

Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence – Hulu

This Hulu documentary is bizarre, to say the very least. It features the true story of a cult’s formation, from within the walls of the prestigious Sarah Lawrence College. Formed by one of the student’s own fathers, the documentary follows the story of 63-year-old Larry Ray, and details how he was able to infiltrate the campus, and eventually the minds of the students.

He starts with his daughter’s roommates, and before long not only has he moved them off campus, he has complete control over them. In a bizarre mind game, he convinces the students that they owe him money, and convinces them to do everything from stealing to sex work in order to “pay him back.” His methods for this madness are not only hard to watch, but they are also hard to believe. Actual footage of some of the punishments is included in the documentary and it is disturbing, to say the least.

While some members of the cult were able to leave, one girl, Isabella, remained until the bitter end, even after Ray’s incarceration and trial. In fact, she was named as a co-conspirator, the Allison Mack to Ray’s Keith Raniere. Ultimately, Ray received a sixty-year prison sentence for racketeering, violent crime in aid of racketeering, extortion, and sex trafficking, just to name a few of the many charges. Overall, it’s estimated he manipulated the students out of millions of dollars, not to mention years of their lives. It is a sad story with an even sadder reminder, that while the man is behind bars, he will always be Talia’s father. Surprisingly, however, we don’t see a Dad of the Year award coming his way anytime soon. Check out this mind-bending documentary on Hulu.

Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults – HBO Max

Is it just us, or does this guy look like an actual alien? He does, right? OK, glad we settled that. So we guess it is little wonder that the man, known as “Do,” aka Marshall Applewhite, would start a new age, end-of-the-world cult based around the concepts of an alien society.

The organization takes a very dark turn as Applewhite begins to gain and convince members using a sci-fi series, that sexual submission and asexual concepts are the way of the future. Except for him of course. He even asks the men to participate in voluntary castrations. Then the arrival of the Hale-Bopp Comet creates chaos among the members as Applewhite convinces them that this is a sign that it is time to leave their human bodies, and meet their alien leaders.

If you are thinking the name “Heaven’s Gate” sounds familiar, it is most likely because the final act of the cult made nationwide news. 39 people in a home outside San Diego took their own lives and helped each other to do so, in anticipation of entering “Heaven’s Gate.” It was the largest mass suicide ever recorded on U.S. soil. So what could have caused 39 people to follow this man to their untimely deaths? Check out this series on HBO to find out just how Applewhite did it.

Waco: American Apocalypse– Netflix

The name David Koresh sends shivers down the spine of many, and with good reason. David Koresh is one of the most notorious cult leaders in history, whose downfall — and the deaths of his adherents, including children — made national headlines. In a 51-day standoff with authorities, Koresh’s group, the Branch Davidians, were involved in one of the most extreme gunfights on U.S. land since the Civil War.

The documentary follows the story of Koresh’s rise to power, his bizarre beliefs, and how he was able to gather followers. It also covers the infamous 51-day standoff that resulted in 86 deaths and culminated in a fiery ending as the compound burned to the ground. The documentary includes never before released footage and audio that takes the viewer into the mind of a murderer and the final days of his reign of terror.

Several survivors of the bloody scene give their personal accounts of the final days of the destructive cult, sharing what it was like to know the man behind the mask. It takes an intimate look at what made this man so persuasive, and the tactics he used to convince his followers to participate in some seriously bizarre and detrimental behavior. We also hear from survivors on the government’s side, who relate what it was like to go after and eventually take down one of the most notorious and sinister cult leaders of our time.

Bad Vegan– Netflix

Cults come in all shapes and sizes, and this cult of two did more damage than most organizations 10 times its size. Bad Vegan follows the story of the rise and very public fall of “Vegan raw food queen” Sarma Melingalis as she falls in with the wrong crowd. The very wrong crowd.

The sordid story unfolds as Sarma found herself being pursued by a handsome online admirer, and an acquaintance she had in common with her friend and almost-lover, none other than Alec Baldwin. Soon she and this handsome admirer known as “Shane Fox” strike up a relationship. Yet all is not as it seems with Mr. Fox, as it turns out he had another identity; that of a criminal. Soon he began a method of manipulation too strange to be believed. He convinces Sarma of the existence of a completely different reality, one where mysterious bosses call the shots, and her dog will live forever. Through this bizarre concept, he is able to extract millions from Sarma via her popular vegan restaurant, Pure Food and Wine. However, in all of the excitement, Sarma forgets to pay a few people — namely, the government, her investors, and even her employees, giving rise to the catchphrase “Raw Food, Raw Deal.”

The two fugitives were ultimately caught, in a bizarre twist of fate, by a fast-food pizza order delivered to their hotel room. Not exactly a vegan option. Sarma and Shane were both jailed and sentenced. The ins and outs of this celebrity-studded horror story had us on the edge of our seats the entire time. It is definitely proof of how love and manipulation can make us do some very bizarre things. Check it out on Netflix.

Under The Banner Of Heaven– Hulu

Under the Banner of Heaven is a limited series based on the book of the same name written by famed author Jon Krakauer. While the series is not quite a documentary, it does follow the actual events very closely.

The book and series are based on the story of the murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty, a Mormon news anchor and her daughter who were killed in cold blood in their home. As many wondered who could do something so heinous, the answer turned out to be even more sinister than imagined. Slowly the truth behind the brutal double murder is revealed as religion, loyalty, and family ties are put to the test.

It is revealed that Brenda’s own brothers-in-law, Ron and Dan Lafferty, were behind the vicious double homicide. As they broke from the church and formed their own fundamentalist Mormon offshoot, their interpretation of scripture took a dark turn. Feeling Brenda had stepped outside the laws of both the church and family, they felt she had to pay. The storyline follows the fictional detective, Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield), as he confronts both the men and his own beliefs. While he is fictional, the facts of the case presented are true. It is a horrifying story of what happens when religion goes wrong, and unspeakable acts are executed “under the banner of heaven.” Check out this limited series on Hulu.

Wild Wild Country Netflix

Here we meet another guru, too bizarre to be believed. The documentary follows the life and times of Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho) and his group of followers, who eventually located in rural Oregon. Yet their presence in the area was not well received by the local ranchers, and the events that followed certainly earned the film its title of Wild, Wild Country.

The group’s spat with neighbors eventually leads to the first bioterrorist attack on U.S. soil, not to mention a major case of illegal wiretapping. Osho was able to accrue wealth from his followers, and used it to fund his attacks. The practices and beliefs of the cult were unusual, to say the least, and ultimately led to murder and mayhem. Osho is viewed as one of the most controversial gurus of our time, with an ongoing following to this day, despite his death.

He was also joined by his former assistant, “Ma” Anand Sheeland, who proved both ruthless and provocative in leading the group. Ultimately several members were arrested and charged, and Rajneesh himself was deported. The film evokes questions of good vs. evil, fairness vs. justice, and church vs. state. While the beliefs themself are “wild” enough, the storyline of the bioterrorist outcome is the part that for us, proves even stranger than fiction.

Cult consciousness is a fascinating phenomenon that true crime junkies, and the public at large, just can’t seem to get enough of. These ten true crime docs are helping to create “cult crime” not only as its own niche, but to bring it to the forefront of the true crime genre itself. Perhaps part of the documentaries chilling charm, is that they tune us into the terrifying truth, that the descent into a cult mentality, is actually closer than we think.

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