6 Cult Thriller Series Based on True Events on Netflix and HBO Max

There are many people who, throughout history, have had a relationship, direct or indirect, with some cult, religious or otherwise. Luckily, there are now plenty of cult series based on true events that dig into what these groups are like from the inside out that you can watch on Netflix or HBO Max.

‘True Detective’, the first season, is one of the best examples of cult suspense series you can watch on HBO Max. Cary Fukunaka and Nic Pizzolato’s creation, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, follows two detectives who investigate a pagan cult responsible for the deaths of several citizens, including several women.

The oath

another god the best series based on true events about cults is ‘The Oath’, a documentary mini-series that follows a group of people who have joined a self-help and self-improvement group known as NXIVM. Keith Raniere is the leader of this organization which had various sex trafficking and organized crime charges against its top members. Available on HBO Max.

Be docile: prayer and obedience

One of best cult thrillers on netflix en ‘Be Docile: Prayer and Obedience’, a true crime docuseries that investigates and tells the story of the relatives and ex-wives of Rulon Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Polygamy.

• You may be interested in: thriller films and series on cults and sects
• You may be interested in: Horror films about cults inspired by the occult

Colonia Dignidad: a German sect in Chile

Also on Netflix you can find a documentary series which is one of the most terrifying in this regard. It is titled ‘Colonia Dignidad: A German Sect in Chile’, which has 6 chapters of approximately one hour, and which follows the events that took place in a colony led by Paul Shafer, during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet after several decades in the country.

Wild and wild country

Also with one season, we have a documentary series known as ‘Wild Wild Country’, a series about a cult leader called Rajneesh, where his followers have built a utopian city in the middle of nowhere, along with a population with that they had various issues over the years, and it was one of the first popular cults in the world. Available on Netflix.

Heaven’s Gate: The cult of cults

And finally we have one of the scariest documentary series. This is “Heaven’s Gate”, which is about a cult that worships UFOs, which seem harmless at first glance, but they were responsible for the disappearance of 20 people in 1975 and the mass suicide of 29 people in 1997, forming one of the most impressive cases. Available on HBO Max.