A Tour Through The Creepiest Cults In Cinematic History

After quite a long wait, we’re squarely in the thick of American Horror Story: Cult. The brand new season has aired two episodes of its latest edition, and they’ve already left us breathless. And, we’ve barely even seen the true underbelly of the titular cult. Instead, we’ve only gotten hints about what’s to come from the behavior of Winter Anderson (Billie Lourd) and the murderous clowns currently terrorizing the Michigan town Ally Mayfair-Richards (Sarah Paulson) calls home.

Although AHS season 7 is one of the darkest and most allegorical looks at cults in modern memory, it’s certainly not the only work of TV or film to examine cults and their repercussions.

From documentaries to psychological thrillers, each of these films also focuses on individuals who have brushes with the darkness and charisma of cults. Some, like Jonestown, look at nearly unbelievable stories pulled straight from the history book. Others, like The Master, offer entirely fictional takes on the cult phenomenon. Either way, like the characters in the films, you'll be drawn in.