On March 26, 1997, 39 people were found dead in a California mansion, having methodically killed themselves over the course of three days in the belief that they would ascend to a higher plane of existence. Depending on how old you are, this is either news or a reminder of an event that dominated the media for a while, before we all went back to being enthralled by the fresh sound of the Spice Girls.

In the middle of a lot of baseless speculation, everyone agreed on one thing: the dead had belonged to a group called Heaven's Gate. That's because the media found a website advertising the group, which just added to the mystique (keep in mind, in 1997 having a website made you a mysterious future wizard).

Heaven's Gate

That site still exists today, because Heaven's Gate left behind two members to maintain it, answer emails, and sell books and VHS tapes of their beliefs. And they agreed to talk to us.