When you think cult-leaders, Charles Manson surely springs to mind. His foul group, the Manson family, famously murdered Roman Polanski's first wife Sharon Tate in the Summer of 1969.
This retelling of the story from Tarantino is actually more of a fantasy that gives us the ending we want rather than presenting the historical reality. But this isn't a list of documentaries, and the ending is worth it. | © Sony
One of Kubrick's lesser-known films, and honestly for good reason; don't expect something on the level of A Clockwork Orange. But this is a good watch for those interested in cults.
Tom Cruise plays a doctor who has a chance encounter with a cult, and very nearly falls victim to them. However, he does get away, and that gives the film a bizarre, kind-of-happy ending. | © Warner Bros.
This is a great modern take on the idea of a coven of witches. Tilda Swinton is the head of a prestigious dance academy in Berlin (and she's as fantastic as you would expect). Dakota Johnson plays a young American woman who joins the dance academy and slowly unravels the mystery. It would be a much better film if it didn't rely so much on the supernatural, but it's a worthwhile watch nevertheless.
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This is more of an action-comedy than it is a film about cults, but it's such a fantastic movie that we want to get it onto the list via technicality. If you're looking for a serious or disturbing exploration of cults, keep reading, but perhaps when you've had enough of all the darkness and want something fun, come back to Hot Fuzz. | © Universal
There are some strange plot holes that hold this movie back, and the male leads (Chris Pine and Harry Styles) give only a middling performance, but the secret behind the cult will leave you curious enough to keep watching until the end. If you decide to watch this one, I recommend not watching the trailer; it's the perfect movie to go in blind for. | © Warner Bros.
Kinds of Kindness is an absurdist production from Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Favourite). He's an incredible director, but you should know going into the film that this is a surreal experience, and you're probably either going to love it or hate it.
The film consists of three loosely connected stories, and in the first of these, The Death of R.M.F., Willem Dafoe plays a charismatic cult leader. This film, better than any other on the list, explores the need for cult members to feel the approval of their leader, and the troubling ways in which this impulse overlaps with sexuality. | © Searchlight Pictures
Much like Don't Worry Darling, the softer and more welcoming aspects of cult dynamics are explored in The Beach. A young Leonardo DiCaprio is initially welcomed into a cult that live in secret on a beautiful island in Thailand. Of course, the utopia doesn't last, and the cult soon collapses in on itself. | © 20th Century Studios
This is an insane movie, and one of my favorites from Kevin Smith. A Christian pastor and his cult are living in the desert, á la David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. The cult have one of the women lure in some local teenagers as a sacrifice, but before they can be killed, the ATF are informed and a Waco-like siege ensues. | © Lionsgate
Perhaps the most powerful cult of all time, Scientology had to make the list in some form. If we were including documentaries, then Louis Theroux's Scientology movie would also be here, but that's an aside.
The Master tells the story of the early Church of Scientology, and with powerhouse actors like Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman onboard, you know you're in for a good time. | © Golden Village
A24 increasingly feel like HBO for the big screen, in other words, they don't miss. It's fitting then that our number one is Midsommar, A24's big 2019 hit, which tells the story of an American couple, Mark (Jack Reynor) and Dani (Florence Pugh), as they head to Sweden to repair their relationship. They end up the victims of a violent pagan cult. Horrific, but engrossing. | © A24
There's something morbidly fascinating about cult leaders and the slavish people who sacrifice everything to serve them. And so naturally they make great subjects for movies, and not just horror flicks, but thoughtful, moving pieces as well. Here are our absolute favorites, what we consider to be the best movies about cults and cult leaders of all time.
