Cult Killer

Can Ellen Be Saved?

February 1974 •English

A young girl in search of spiritual enlightenment joins a religious cult, and becomes the focus of a struggle between her family and the group.

Far from the Trees

May 1972 •Spanish

An unprejudiced portrait of Spanish folklore and a crude analysis in black and white of its intimate relationship with atavism and superstition, with violence and pain, with blood and death; a story of terror, a journey to the most sinister and ancestral Spain; the one that lived far from the most visited tourist destinations, from the economic miracle and unstoppable progress, relentlessly promoted by the Franco regime during the sixties.

Backwoods

January 2008 •English

A group of friends embark on a camping trip for a ten-year high school reunion. Their celebration soon turns into a battle for survival when they realize that the locals, who are not what they seem, are hunting them down.

Charles Manson, The Church of Satan, The Universal Order & The Process Church of Final Judgment

June 2012 •English

Out of the spiritual chaos of the 1960s, more strange cults and unorthodox messiahs have emerged than ever. Charles Manson is seen as the annoying result of libertarianism of the 1960s - the Cain who murdered the Abel from The Love Generation. Or in the words of one commentator; "the Elvis of alienation."

Aliens from Spaceship Earth

January 1977 •English

Tries to prove that all great men of the past were actually aliens. While the aliens in this film may seem to be quite human, one must realize that this film is dealing with close encounters of the fourth kind. An inner space journey triggered by the drug culture and rebellion of the sixties, and the non-violent search for self that continues among people in today's culture. Could this be due to some influence from a higher spiritual consciousness? The world's alien leaders are well represented in this film: Baba Muktananda, Swami Satchidananda, A. C. Bhaktivedanta, Guru Maharaj Ji, Yoga Bhahan, Sri Sathya, Sai Baba, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Father Yod, Baba Ram Das, and well-known personalities who present their views on seeking their own terrestrial individuality. Whether inspired by a more highly evolved race than earthlings, or from a visit millions of years ago by space aliens, Aliens from Spaceship Earth are causing great changes on our planet today.

Servants of Twilight

May 1991 •English

Based on the novel by Dean R. Koontz, this action packed thriller features Bruce Greenwood as a private detective hired to protect a little boy from a fanatical religious cult that believe he is the antichrist fortold in the book of Revelations.

The Dunwich Horror

December 2009 •English

In Louisiana, in the wicked Whateley House, Lavina delivers two babies whose fate is written. Ten years later, three scholars of the occult discover that one page of the “Necronomicon,” the unspeakable book, is missing and the Black Brotherhood has summoned the ancient gate keeper to free legions of evil gods and monsters from the dimension of chaos.

Vares: The Path of the Righteous Men

January 2012 •Finnish

The body of a young woman whose heart has been ripped out of her chest is found in a remote are in Finland. The finder of the body, a dismissed pastor, hires private investigator Jussi Vares to investigate the crime. Vares uncovers a criminal ring involved in extortion, religious scams, exploitation of minors and stock market speculation.

The Source Family

May 2013 •English

A feature documentary film set in Hollywood, examining a radical experiment in '70s utopian living. The Source Family were the darlings of the Sunset Strip until their communal living, outsider ideals and spiritual leader Father Yod's 13 wives became an issue with local authorities. They fled to Hawaii, leading to their dramatic demise.

Join Us

March 2007 •English

At the Mountain Rock Church in South Carolina, Pastor Raimund Melz leads a small Christian cult that justifies brutal actions like child abuse with the words of the Old Testament. Documentarian Ondi Timoner focuses on one family in particular, who left the church with plans to file charges against Melz before eventually checking into a one-of-a-kind cult treatment center. Timoner's film follows their journey as they receive psychological help and then return home to confront their former pastor.

Jesus Is King

October 2019 •English

Filmed during summer 2019, Jesus Is King brings Kanye West’s famed Sunday Service to life in the Roden Crater, visionary artist James Turrell’s never-before-seen installation in Arizona’s Painted Desert. This one-of-a-kind experience features songs arranged by West in the gospel tradition along with new music from his forthcoming album.

Even as Eve

January 1920 •English

Eileen O'Hara lives as a member of a cult in a remote retreat in the Adirondacks with her father, an embittered man since his wife's infidelity years earlier. Because his wife was untrue, O'Hara is determined that his daughter, Eileen, shall never marry. Peyster Sproul was the man who had the affair Mrs. O'Hara's infidelity, and when he shows up as president of the Sagamore Club and attempts to buy O'Hara's land, the two men come to blows.

Ungodly Acts

September 2015 •English

Inspired by actual events. When Melissa Cooper's body is found hanging from a swing set, the 27-year-old's death is initially ruled a suicide. But two weeks later a young man, Adam, comes forward claiming he murdered Melissa on the orders of her husband, Daniel Cooper.

My Scientology Movie

May 2016 •English

Following a long fascination with the religion and with much experience in dealing with eccentric, unpalatable and unexpected human behavior, the beguilingly unassuming Theroux won't take no for an answer when his request to enter the Church's headquarters is turned down. Inspired by the Church's use of filming techniques, and aided by ex-members of the organization, Theroux uses actors to replay some incidents people claim they experienced as members in an attempt to better understand the way it operates. In a bizarre twist, it becomes clear that the Church is also making a film about Louis Theroux.

Tourisme religieux, un marché sacré

October 2024 •French

Saatana perkele helvettiin

August 2012 •Swedish

About the Korpela movement or Siikavaara sect active during the 1930's in the far north of Sweden. Toivo Korpela a Laestadian preacher was outmanoeuvred by Sigurd Siikavaara and returned to Finland. Siikavaara who preferred apocalyptic beliefs and ecstatic rituals soon gathered a large following and became prophet #1. With Artur Niemi, prophet #2, he draped and enhanced the rituals with total sexual freedom. At the trial in 1939 Siikavaara assured that he had not been sober one day during the last 8 years. Chanting "Saatana, Saatana, Helvettin, Babylon,Perkele" over and over. Swearing and cursing all the way to Eden.

Holy Hell

January 2016 •English

An inside look at a West Hollywood cult formed by a charismatic teacher in the 1980s that eventually imploded.

Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua

January 2024 •English

BBC Africa Eye unravel a shocking journey into a maze of manipulation and terrifying atrocities, perpetrated by one of the most powerful religious figures of the 21st century. This investigation contains detailed first-person testimony and historical footage as it delves into the experiences of those who were wooed by the world-famous pastor into his religious cult, only to suffer devastating consequences. Twelve survivors go on record, speaking out together for the first time.

El Palmar de Troya

February 2020 •Spanish

On March 30, 1968, four 12 and 13-year-old girls claimed that the Virgin Mary had appeared on the Alcaparrosa estate, one kilometer from the village of El Palmar de Troya, in the province of Seville. Weeks later, several neighbors affirmed that they had seen other appearances and in the summer of that same year an altar was built that would be the first stone of the Palmarian Christian church. In June 2018, Ginés, the last Pope of El Palmar de Troya, and his wife assaulted, with brawl included, the congregation’s facilities. Scandals, the shadow of sexual abuse, unlikely anecdotes and all kinds of accusations have marked the more than 50 years of this religious congregation to which some consider church and many others a great sect.

The Women Men Marry

September 1937 •English

A newsman with a no-good wife exposes a religious racket with a newswoman who loves him.