The best cult documentaries, picked by Reddit

26 titles · Updated 12 Oct 2026

Love cult documentaries? Here's a list of some you have to watch. Each note says why it was recommended. A few stray from cults in the strict sense, like Abducted in Plain Sight and Jesus Camp, but sit well beside the rest. Love Has Won is last for a reason: it divided the thread, and several people found its footage too graphic to finish. Spoiler: it gets weird.

Free, no paywall. All 26 go on your watchlist and the list, notes and all, into My Lists, with where each one streams in your country.

1
Wild Wild Country (2018)
Tense
Netflix's six-part series on the Rajneeshee commune that took over a corner of rural Oregon in the 1980s. The most recommended pick in the thread. One fan's only complaint: the title gives no hint of how strange it gets.
2
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)
Tense
Alex Gibney's HBO film on Scientology, told by former members. Several people named it as the obvious place to start, and one added that the Lawrence Wright book it is based on goes further still.
3
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (2022)
Tense
Netflix series on Warren Jeffs and the FLDS church, told by the women who got out. Recommended three times, even if nobody could remember the title on the first try.
4
Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults (2020)
Tense
HBO Max series on the UFO religion whose members died together in 1997. Called excellent, and seconded straight away.
5
Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence (2023)
Tense
Hulu series on Larry Ray, a student's father who moved into her college housing and took control of her friends. One viewer called it one of the best they had seen, and said it stayed with them for a long time.
6
Abducted in Plain Sight (2019)
Tense
A family in 1970s Idaho falls under a neighbor's spell. Only on the edge of cult territory, but fans say go in knowing nothing, and one is still asking how any of it happened.
7
Gloriavale (2022)
Tense
Survivors of Gloriavale, an isolated Christian community on New Zealand's West Coast, seek justice after leaving. Two people jumped in to recommend it.
8
The Vow (2020)
Authentic
HBO series on NXIVM and Keith Raniere, told largely through members' own footage. One of the original poster's favorites.
9
The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin (2021)
Authentic
HBO series on Gwen Shamblin Lara, the diet-program founder who built the Remnant Fellowship church. Another of the original poster's favorites.
10
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets (2023)
Authentic
Prime Video series on the Duggar family and the Institute in Basic Life Principles, the fundamentalist ministry behind them. Liked by the original poster.
11
Trust Me: The False Prophet (2026)
Tense
A cult expert and a filmmaker go undercover in a polygamist sect to expose its self-proclaimed prophet. Liked by the original poster.
12
The Synanon Fix: Did the Cure Become a Cult? (2024)
Tense
HBO series on Synanon, a drug rehab program from the late 1950s that turned into something much darker. Recommended as quite good.
13
Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown (2024)
Tense
Survivors and eyewitnesses walk through the final hours at Jonestown in 1978. Recommended, with the note that almost every Jonestown documentary is worth watching.
14
Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult (2020)
Tense
Starz series on NXIVM told through India Oxenberg, who was drawn into its secret inner circle. A good companion to The Vow.
15
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (2016)
Tense
The actor's A&E series with former Scientologists on what leaving cost them. Recommended alongside Going Clear for anyone who wants more.
16
The Cult of the Real Housewife (2026)
Authentic
Former members and family speak out about Mary Cosby of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and the Pentecostal church she inherited. One person started watching the moment they found it.
17
Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult (2024)
Authentic
Netflix series on TikTok dancers drawn into a management company and the church tied to it. One commenter remembered it as very good and very sad, but not its name. This is the one.
18
The Cult of NatureBoy (2026)
Tense
Hulu series on Eligio Bishop, a social media personality who used his following to recruit people into his Carbon Nation community.
19
Breath of Fire (2024)
Authentic
HBO series tracing how Kundalini yoga spread through the West, from Yogi Bhajan to the wellness culture of today.
20
Escaping Twin Flames (2023)
Tense
Netflix series on Twin Flames Universe, an online business that promised to find people their true love. Prime Video's Desperately Seeking Soulmate covers the same group.
21
The Deep End (2022)
Tense
Series following the spiritual teacher Teal Swan and the people drawn to her.
22
Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult (2026)
Tense
Follows the model Hoyt Richards into Eternal Values, a spiritual group led by Frederick von Mierers.
23
Jesus Camp (2006)
Authentic
Oscar-nominated film about children at an evangelical summer camp in North Dakota. Not a cult in the strict sense, but it sits comfortably alongside these.
24
Kumaré (2012)
Mind-Bending
A filmmaker poses as an Indian guru in Arizona and builds a real following. A different angle on the rest of this list: how a cult gets started.
25
Fall from Grace (2007)
Authentic
Low-budget film on Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church, made by a film student from the area. Of the many films about the Phelps family, this is the one recommended here.
26
Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God (2023)
Tense
HBO series on Amy Carlson, the leader her followers called Mother God. The most divisive pick: two people recommended it, while the original poster and others found its footage too graphic to sit through.

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