Cults offer the chance to belong, to make the world a better place, to… take advantage of vulnerability, suppress thoughts, stage deadly plots, and ruin lives. Nevertheless, there are harsh lessons to be learned from history’s most malignant manipulators. That’s why the creators of the series How to Become a Tyrant hath delivered unto us the latest installment in their tongue-in-cheek guidebook anthology: How to Become a Cult Leader. The docuseries examines infamous cult leaders’ playbooks — from achieving unearned devotion to controlling followers’ minds, bodies, and souls.
Narrated by Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage, the series features interviews with experts like former federal prosecutor and CNN legal analyst Elie Honig, author and former Unification Church member Diane Benscoter, former People’s Temple follower Yulanda Williams, former cult member and Trust Me podcast co-host Lola Blanc, former Buddhafield member Christopher Johnston, and more.
The cults discussed in the series include the Manson Family, Peoples Temple, Buddhafield, Heaven’s Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, and the Unification Church.
The series wryly breaks down what it takes to run a cult, based on six of the most notorious cults of all time. Each episode focuses on a different pseudo-religious leader, their dark history, and goes over the basics of how they formed and led their following. First, learn how to found a cult with Manson Family head Charles Manson, then go over how to grow your flock with Peoples Temple founder Jim Jones, reform vulnerable minds with Buddhafield founder Jaime Gomez, promise eternity with Heaven’s Gate leader Marshall Applewhite, control your cult’s image with Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara, and become immortal with Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon.
