Remember how I was on a cult documentary binge last month?
Well I watched a more recent title called "Holy Hell" (2016) [X]
It's available from all the usual places like itunes, amazon etc.
Anyways it's about this group called "The Buddhafield" that was active in the mid eighties (and presently), lead by a speedo wearing, narcissistic control freak referred to by his followers as "the leader" or simply "Michel".
One of the members was a film student called Will Allen, who documented his time there and went back to interview members years later to talk about what happened.
The whole film has a really unnerving, sinister vibe to it. I was obviously expecting the truth to be revealed throughout the documentary of course, but no matter how many cult films I watch, I'm never exactly prepared for that unsettling feeling of watching the leaders act dissolve and finding out the reality of abuse and control.
I do like the way the story was told and the style it was filmed and edited in. You should check it out if you're looking for something to watch.
Here's the trailer for it.
It's available from all the usual places like itunes, amazon etc.
Anyways it's about this group called "The Buddhafield" that was active in the mid eighties (and presently), lead by a speedo wearing, narcissistic control freak referred to by his followers as "the leader" or simply "Michel".
One of the members was a film student called Will Allen, who documented his time there and went back to interview members years later to talk about what happened.
The whole film has a really unnerving, sinister vibe to it. I was obviously expecting the truth to be revealed throughout the documentary of course, but no matter how many cult films I watch, I'm never exactly prepared for that unsettling feeling of watching the leaders act dissolve and finding out the reality of abuse and control.
I do like the way the story was told and the style it was filmed and edited in. You should check it out if you're looking for something to watch.
Here's the trailer for it.
CNN did a report after the documentary came out in search of Michel Rostand, which you can watch here.
You can also read an article by the huffington post here
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In late 2006/early 2007, then 19 year old Ria Ramkissoon starved her 16 month old son, Javon Thompson, to death under the orders of Toni Sloan, aka “Queen Antoinette”, who was the leader of the “1 Mind Ministries” cult. A new mother with a troubled home life and an incarcerated partner (attempted murder charge); she originally joined the cult as a disappointed reaction to the places of worship in the Baltimore area. At a loss for what to do with her life, and unsure of what direction to go in, she decided to move into the “1 Mind Ministries” house after being recruited by existing members who actively pursued her.. (click to read more)
Recently I’ve been binge watching videos about cults and cult survivors and the like and thought I’d make a post on five documentaries that you can watch right now.
1.“Cult Witness” [X] This documentary includes interviews with a young ex-cult member detailing the techniques used and the process he went through. It also briefly interviews members of other cults such as the “UFO” cult “Gentle wind project” whose leader scammed this particular member out of thousands of dollars in return for alien prophecies, and the story of a member of “Children of God” which brings me to number 2 on my list… (click to continue)
Then eighteen year old Nancy Lynn Jason was last seen on the 20th of July 1977 in Bethesda, Maryland. Nancy was a “Premie”, a member of a religious group called “Divine Light Mission” which was founded in India in the sixties by leader Shri Hans Ji Maharaj. The Western sect of the group is classed by many as a cult. Maharaja’s youngest son, Guru Maharaj Ji (later Prem Rawat) brought the Divine light mission to the west against his families wishes, spreading branches of the DLM across the US, England and other countries in Europe"Eventually the family split in anger and took control of (click to continue)
I just watched Holy Hell and I am just creeped out by Michel!
ReplyDeletepatsy bene thought it was so interesting.such good photography.started out so good,ended so bad.
ReplyDeleteLike the writer of this article, I too have recently been researching various groups deemed cults and watched "Holy Hell" on Netflix yesterday. I couldn't help but be fascinated by the level of devotion and apparent "love" members showered upon Michel. Though after considerable research and investigation of cults, their belief systems and their individual group dynamics, I'm struck by a singularity, a "same-ness" of sorts, found amongst followers of all races,ages, genders, sexual orientation, nationalities. It's rarely mentioned and acknowledged only in hindsight. This singular commonality shared by so many is not a defect in character, it's not a result or consequence of any necessarily conscious choice or objection, but is a slow adaptation of the inherent desire of all humans to commune in some way with divinity. These individuals somehow come to believe that the "way" or the "truth" can only be found via pursuit, totally ignoring the glaring fact that truth is available to them at any time, but not any way. The singularity is the rejection of the limitations put upon them as a consequence of breaking the Creator's rules. You never hear anyone openly questioning the "teacher" when he demands homosexual sex from heterosexual members, even if they secretly don't want to engage in it! So these people who in some cases are disillusioned by Christianity or Islam or whatever, because they can't do anything they want, casual sex, homosexual sex, drug use, etc, and still "get to heaven", ergo- find a religion that tells me that I can be my own God, or that a bit-part/gay-porno actor is God. They refuse and reject ACTUAL divinity, because they don't want to live or "be" according to the rules set up by the God that created them and every-freaking-thing else. I hate it sometimes too, but hell, HE created IT, it's HIS,..period. His universe, His planet, His plans, His rules, laws, etc,...do as He says, His will, or don't and be eternally separated from Him. We may not "like" it, but we didn't like bed times or curfews either,...but like our parents used to say, "Our house,..our rules".
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