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Cult Documentaries on Netflix

Wild Wild Country and 5 Other Chilling Cult Documentaries You Can Stream on Netflix

Mar 31 2018

If there's one thing that Netflix consistently gets right, it's the selection of incredible, engrossing documentaries. Like Making a Murderer and The Keepers, the latest addition is a truly chilling look into a situation that seems so insane, it couldn't possibly be real: Wild Wild Country. The documentary follows the Rajneesh cult movement led by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, a self-appointed spiritual guru, in Wasco County, Oregon, and will leave you wanting far more than its six episodes.

If you have a thing for cults — don't worry, we can commiserate — Wild Wild Country isn't the only documentary about the subject available to stream on Netflix. From cult docs that explore traditional ideas of what, exactly, a cult is to others that dive head first into the cult-like devotion of a white supremacist, we've rounded up a few options for what you should watch next.

Image Source: Netflix

1. Wild Wild Country

If you haven't gotten around to watching this critically acclaimed series about a notorious cult you've probably never heard of and its heyday in the 1980s, now is the time. The six-part investigative series is a wild ride (pun intended), featuring interviews with past members of the Rajneesh movement and archival footage of the actual events.

Watch it now.

Image Source: Netflix

2. Children of God

This 1994 documentary might appear dated in a few ways, but it's still worth educating yourself about the horrific Children of God religious cult (later dubbed "The Family") that gained followers in the '60s under the watchful eye of persuasive leader David Berg and encouraged sexual acts with children.

Watch it now.

Image Source: Netflix

3. Holy Hell

In 2016's Holy Hell, filmmaker Will Allen documents his time as a member of the Buddhafield cult over the course of 22 years in Los Angeles. The film, which premiered at Sundance in 2016, combines footage shot during Allen's time serving as the group's videographer as well as interviews with former members about Buddhafield's leader, Michel.

Watch it now.

Image Source: Everett Collection

4. Deprogrammed

How does someone escape the influence of a cult? That's what's explored in Deprogrammed, a documentary following cult-deprogrammer and author Ted Patrick's anticult crusade throughout the 1970s. His mission to deprogram those who'd joined cults earned the attention of everyone from concerned parents to law enforcement and is a harrowing look at the effects of these groups on people's psyches.

Watch it now.

Image Source: Netflix

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5. Enlighten Us

Enlighten Us focuses on the meteoric rise and fall of motivational speaker James Arthur Ray. The influential self-help guru eventually gained a large group of loyal followers, 50 of whom paid $10,000 or more to attend a seminar in the middle of the desert in 2009. The event ended with three people dead from heatstroke and 18 others hospitalised, which led to Ray being sent to prison for negligent homicide.

Watch it now.

Image Source: Netflix

6. Welcome to Leith

When you hear the word "cult," you might think of extremist religious movements, like the People's Temple or the Manson Family, but their goals aren't that far off from those of Craig Cobb, a white supremacist who tried to take over the small North Dakota town of Leith. Welcome to Leith centres on the Neo-Nazi's attempts to build a community of white nationalists in the town by buying 12 plots of land and his plan to gain the electoral majority.

Watch it now.

Image Source: Netflix

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