Review: Was Charles Manson Carrying Out a CIA Experiment?
Errol Morris' new Netflix documentary explores alternative theories of the Manson cult's infamous 1969 murders.
Cults
When Yoga Sparked a Sex Panic
"Hindu mystics" with "swarthy faces and dreamy-looking eyes" once had Uncle Sam in a tizzy.
The Weak, Weird Case Against a Supposed 'Orgasm Cult'
Snakes. Magic. Orgasmic meditation. And a dubious federal case against the leaders of a supposed sex cult.
California's Rationalist-Linked Death Cult
Plus: Air traffic control failures that led to a plane crash, "why shit not working" in New York City, and more...
The Defiant Trump Image That Made Critics Join the Cult
How a single photograph transformed Trump into a mythical leader for some critics and supporters alike.
The Myth of the Argentine Yoga School Sex Cult
Prosecutors say the Buenos Aires Yoga School was a sex trafficking cult, but the alleged victims say this isn't true.
The One-Man 'Cult' That Put St. Louis Under Surveillance
The story behind the city's ban on unlicensed drone businesses is even weirder than the ban itself.
Review: Inside New York's 20th Century Psychotherapeutic Cult
The Sullivan Institute trapped members and broke up families.
Review: Netflix Offers a Too-Lighthearted Take on Becoming a Cult Leader
Narrator Peter Dinklage takes viewers through a step-by-step process for becoming the next Jim Jones.
Arizona's GOP Has Become a Trump Cult
The organization has devolved from skepticism toward government to veneration of politicians.
Reviews: Love and Monsters and J.R. 'Bob' Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius
A good teens-and-creatures movie, and a deep dive into a glorious fake cult
Paul Krassner: The Lost Interview
A previously unpublished conversation with “investigative satirist” Paul Krassner, who just died at age 87.
Multiple Sex-Trafficking Charges Against Allison Mack to be Dropped As Actress Pleads to Extortion
Plus: "content moderation laws are...not about punishing tech companies" and union fees have taken an astonishing hit.
How Scientology Recruits Inside Florida Prisons
Criminon says it's a secular program to rehabilitate inmates, but critics say it's a recruiting pitch for Scientology.
The Wild Rise of Lyndon LaRouche
What a conspiracy theorist, a Vietnam War deserter, and a Trump adviser have in common
The Sex Trafficking Charges Against Smallville Actress Allison Mack Are Totally Bogus
The federal charges against Mack highlight how human trafficking hysteria harms vulnerable women.
Police Investigate a Cult Killing; It Turns Out to Be a Rock Video
Friday A/V Club: Hard Copy meets Nine Inch Nails.
The Man Who Turned Beauty into an Actual Cult
Documentary takes viewers inside the place called Buddhafield.
Friday A/V Club: Jonestown's In-House R&B Band Performs 'The Greatest Love of All'
Recorded seven months before the massacre
The Cola Cult
A short note on the end of Mad Men, by a guy who has never actually watched Mad Men
Suspicious Minds in the 1970s
Rick Perlstein's new book shows the strange '70s interplay of skepticism and nostalgia.
Leader of "Black Jesus" Cult Hacked to Death in Papua New Guinea
The convicted rapists and suspected cannibal as well as one of his followers were killed while attacking a woman
Fear of a Skeleton Saint
A form of worship crosses the Mexican border—and so does a moral panic.
Obama Has Taken the Cult of the Presidency to a Whole New Level
And it doesn't seem he's losing any sleep over what his successors may do with those new powers.
Billy Graham's Group Removes Mormonism from List of Cults
Change happens after meeting with Mitt Romney
Surprise: Stories of Underground Russian Cult May Have Been Grossly Exaggerated
We've seen this story before
Russian Underground (Literally) Muslim Sect Charged with Child Abuse
83-year-old leader had declared himself a prophet, kept children in subterranean network.
