Top 5 films about Cults from the last 10 years.

*Spoiler Alert*

There are many different kinds of cults, and there have been many films about cults over the years. To be clear we are defining a cult as a system of devotion directed toward a particular figure or object by a relatively small group of people regarded by others as strange or sinister. The trouble with films involving cults is the drastic difference in filmmaking styles, when once suspenseful films i.e. Village of the Damned does not hold up over time. 1999 was a great year for films about cults with the release of Eyes Wide Shut, Fight Club, and Holy Smoke! In more recent years there have been an increased number of terrific films about cults. The upcoming UK DVD release of Maps to the Stars, a film not to be missed, inspired this list.

1. The Master (2012)

A navy veteran suffering severe posttraumatic stress and depression befriends an enchanting leader of a cult. Though his severe self-destructive behavior poses a threat to the ‘Cause’ he become a vital part of the movement. All three leads Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams play tug of war with each other for control with dynamite manipulative precision. It’s a film about friendship, politics, marriage, religion, and affects of war on veterans, alcohol abuse, control, power and a number of other juicy themes. The Master is the kind of film to be seen again and again, each new viewing revealing something new.

Watch for: incredible acting, or recipes for homemade moonshine.

2. Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

In 2011 Natalie Portman won best actress for her part in Black Swan, both the film and her role in it was breathtaking, but Elizabeth Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene was even better. The role was grittier, and the film supplies even more suspense than Black Swan. While there are a lot of films about cults, there are few films that show how someone is indoctrinated into a cult and what happens when they try to leave. Olsen is so tormented by the cult that as she settles into normal life with her sister, he violent flashbacks give glimpses into what her life was like and isolate from recovery. This film is frightening, and veteran bad guy John Hawkes is the perfect amount of compassionate cult leader and menacing villain.

Watch for: A good scare, or for Elizabeth Olsen both her acting and her looks.

3. Maps to the Stars (2014)

This film is so wild it’s a total mind bender. Mia Wasikowska arrives wide eyed in Hollywood and settles in with a cush gig as a personal assistant for Julianne Moore who plays an aging B actress with an infamous mother who died in a fire. Wasikowska has mysterious burn scars and an obsession with many things including Moore’s late mother who was famously part of a cult, Waiskowska has bigger motivation than her work with Moore. The film unravels a number of morbid secrets, and leaves viewers with more than a few questions.

Watch for: Satirical Hollywood actors behaving badly, or for all the incest.

4. Jesus Camp (2006)

Readers may argue that Jesus Camp– the only documentary to make the list- is not a film about cults, but about devout Christians. Those people, probably haven’t seen this film, and should refer to the above definition. This film documents a Christian summer camp for fundamentalist conservative children and teens. In the film these children talk, weep are entranced and worship seemingly unaffected by the cameras.

Watch for: You have to see it to believe it, or ridiculous weeping children.

5. Electrick Children (2012)

Arguably the most indie film on the list, Electrick Children, tells the story of a young woman who may or may not have been impregnated by listening to a cassette tape and falling in love with the singer’s voice. It’s out there. The pregnant teen is kicked out of the cult, goes to California and tries to find the father of her child.

Watch for: Great Soundtrack, or its original storyline.

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