From supernatural devil worshipers to doomsday prophets to extreme religious groups, cults have long captured the public’s interest. Much of it has to do with the psychological manipulation involved and a fascination with charismatic leaders who can recruit followers with ease. Considering that cults most often target the vulnerable, preying on insecurity and offering the lonely a way to feel included, it’s no wonder we’re drawn to these stories. Who among us hasn’t felt insecure or lonely?

While there are plenty of documentaries out there that showcase the horrors of real-life cults and the havoc they’ve wreaked, a scripted show or movie featuring cults and cult behaviors can take those elements and use them to tell an engaging story. Exploring the strange, sinister, and sometimes awkward side of human nature, here are a few cult-infused streaming options — cult classics? — for when you’re in the mood for some (metaphorical) Kool-Aid. Join us and start your initiation into this niche subgenre, no vows required. 

We don’t mean to influence you, but … everybody’s doing it.

Apostle

Action-film expert Gareth Edwards directs this moody folk-horror film that promises to take its followers — er, viewers — on a wild ride. It’s 1905 and Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) travels to a remote Welsh island to rescue his kidnapped sister, who was taken by a cult that holds her for ransom. Posing as a convert, he meets the cult’s leader, Malcolm Howe (Michael Sheen), who claims the island is made fertile through blood sacrifice. Thomas must maintain the ruse long enough to find his sister, risking the cult’s wrath and witnessing their torturous rituals, all before they — or a more sinister supernatural threat — kill him. 

Apostle

2h 9m   TV-MA   2018

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Archive 81

Set in two time periods, this supernatural horror series, produced by James Wan (True Haunting), will keep you guessing. Video conservator Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie) is tasked with traveling to a remote facility to restore tapes damaged in a fire. Alone in the remote facility, he watches the videos, taken in 1994, in which filmmaker Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi) captures footage for her PhD dissertation, documenting an apartment complex called the Visser that’s rumored to house a demonic cult. As he watches more of the archived videos, Dan unravels the truth about the Visser’s mysterious residents and begins to experience horrifying visions as he draws ever closer to the final tape and the fire that damaged the videos and led to Melody’s disappearance.

Archive 81

8 Episodes   TV-MA   2022

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Ares

This 2020 Dutch horror series focuses on the ambition that can lead a person to a cult that promises success. Pre-med university student Rosa Steenwijk (Jade Olieberg) comes from a working-class family where her mother suffers from mental instability and her father works nights. When Rosa is introduced to members of the school’s secret society, Ares, which claims power and wealth, she’s eager to join. Once invited, she quickly grows close to high-ranking members of the society who are impressed with her initiative and intelligence. But it soon becomes clear that the society members’ achievements are made possible by something dark and horrifying, forcing Rosa to confront how far she’s willing to go for her goals.

Ares

8 Episodes   TV-MA   2020

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The Babysitter

Tapping into the humorous side of cult horror, this comedy proves you never really know a person. Freshman high school student Cole (Judah Lewis) is bullied at school and has few friends, one of whom is his older neighbor and sometime babysitter, Bee (Samara Weaving). On a night when Bee is over while Cole’s parents are out, a few of her older friends come to the house when they think Cole has gone to sleep. Sneaking out to see what the older kids are up to, Cole is horrified to witness Bee stabbing another person in the group. As Bee and her friends collect the blood, Cole realizes the girl he idolizes is in a cult. When they find out he’s not asleep, Cole has to figure out how to get away. And be sure to move on to The Babysitter: Killer Queen for even more cultish dark comedy.

The Babysitter

1h 25m   TV-MA   2017

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Devil in Ohio

Based on Daria Polatin’s bestselling novel, this terrifying series explores the extent to which a cult will go to keep its members in the fold. Hospital psychiatrist Dr. Suzanne Mathis (Emily Deschanel) takes in a mysterious new patient, Mae (Madeleine Arthur), who is awaiting foster care placement. Strange things start happening at home, leading Suzanne to wonder whether she’s brought a dangerous person into her family. As she digs more into Mae’s past, Suzanne discovers Mae is a runaway from a devil-worshipping cult, and they aren’t just going to let one of their own leave without consequence.

Devil in Ohio

Limited Series   TV-MA   2022

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Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story

Based on an almost unbelievable true story, this movie depicts the exploits and crimes of a man determined to build his own following of students. Ex-convict Larry Ray (Billy Zane) moves into his daughter’s dorm after being released from prison. Dazzling the other girls in the dorm with his stories of heroism and political conspiracies, he soon has them enthralled. In the guise of helping guide them, Ray works his way into their confidences and then convinces many of them that they suffer from childhood trauma, isolating them from their families. Soon, his control moves from merely emotional and mental to sexual, and his group of young devotees is stuck in his web of lies and abuse.

Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story

1h 26m   TV-MA   2024

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A Sacrifice

It’s one thing to study cults; it’s another to watch a family member get sucked into one. For social psychologist Ben (Eric Bana), Berlin offers a wealth of research and information for his book on groupthink — especially when a mass suicide occurs that may be related to a local cult. Busy with the case and a flirtation with forensics expert Nina (Sylvia Hoeks), Ben is distracted from parenting duties when his daughter, Mazzy (Sadie Sink), arrives to stay with him. She soon makes friends with a local boy, Martin (Jonas Dassler), and is pulled into his circle. Will Ben notice and come to Mazzy’s aid before the very cult he’s studying steals her from him?

A Sacrifice

1h 34m   R   2024

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The Starling Girl

Diving into the manipulative and controlling nature of religious extremist culture reveals how easily a person led down one stray path can be led down another. Teen Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen) is part of a fundamentalist Christian community and most values her role in the church’s dance troupe. But when the troupe is in danger of being disbanded without a leader, Jem convinces Owen (Lewis Pullman), the pastor’s missionary son, newly returned with his wife, to serve as the team's mentor. They soon spend too much time alone together, and a relationship develops that could ruin both their standings in their strict sect. Jem needs to decide what she believes, whom she loves, and if either of those things is what she wants for her life.

The Starling Girl

1h 56m   R   2023

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Unchosen

Another look into a chilling, strict religious community, this psychological thriller follows Rosie (Molly Windsor), who lives with her husband, Adam (Asa Butterfield), and their daughter. An escaped prisoner, Sam (Fra Fee), arrives one day, and brings with him revelations for Rosie about the reality of her life and the restraints on her world. She begins to wonder whether this community has her best interests at heart, and her marriage deteriorates as her doubts increase. But Sam has a dark past he’s hiding, and it’s hard to know which is the greater threat: him or the cult she lives in. 

Unchosen

6 Episodes   TV-MA   2026

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Wayward

You gotta love a cult that won’t admit to being a cult — just classic cult behavior. In this dark and comedic thriller from Canadian comedian Mae Martin, Martin plays Alex Dempsey, a police officer who moves to the town of Tall Pines with his pregnant wife, Laura (Sarah Gadon). Laura grew up in the town and attended the local school for troubled teens when she was younger under the tutelage of the school’s mysterious leader, Evelyn (Toni Collette). When he meets two students from the school, Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind), who are desperate to escape, Alex’s suspicions that the school isn’t all it claims to be are confirmed. This leads him to question the strange disciplines enforced there and whether Evelyn is actually the leader of a cult that may encompass the entire town. 

Wayward

Limited Series   TV-MA   2025

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