Film

Sympathy for the Devil: The True Story of The Process Church of the Final Judgment

Name: Sympathy for the Devil: The True Story of The Process Church of the Final Judgment
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2015
Cast: George Clinton, Emmett Dwyer, Robert Irwin, Malachi McCormick, Sammy Nasr

Mystery

A documentary that separates fact from fever-dream conspiracy around the Process Church, a 1960s-70s spiritual movement that became urban legend. Director Alex Gibney lets former members speak plainly about what was actually happening versus what terrified America imagined. Richly sourced, never sensational, and genuinely curious about how a group gets demonized.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy documentaries that untangle a half-remembered cult scare by letting the former believers talk, and you like a story where the myth turns out stranger than the rumours.

Skip it if you want hard archival proof and a tight investigative case; this leans on personal recollection and a loose, sometimes meandering mood rather than a firm verdict on what really happened.

What it asks of you: Roughly a hundred minutes of talking heads and fragments of old material, with a patient, unhurried rhythm and a dry, sometimes eerie tone that rewards steady attention.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief2015

Gibney's other documentary about a belief system America feared and misunderstood. Same director, same rigorous approach to unpacking how groups get built and how narratives calcify. Deeply absorbing.

But Long and procedural. It moves at the pace of careful investigation, not entertainment. Requires patience.

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief poster

Wild Wild Country2018

A community that terrified America in the 1980s, told partly through their own perspective. Shows how outsider spirituality triggers moral panic. Visually gorgeous and compulsively watchable in ways documentaries rarely are.

But Very long commitment. The series takes its time, and some viewers find the final episodes less gripping than the setup.

Jesus Camp2006

Examines evangelical Christian summer camps with an unflinching but fair eye. Shows how groups radicalize the young while letting participants speak for themselves. Genuinely unsettling without being cruel.

But Leans politically left. If you're defensive about evangelicalism, it may feel predetermined in its conclusions.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Sympathy for the Devil: The True Story of The Process Church of the Final Judgment

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Holy Mountain1973

Both capture the genuine spiritual hunger and psychedelic aesthetics of the late 1960s-70s. Where the documentary is investigative, this is immersive—showing you the inner world that made the Process Church's appeal real.

Jodorowsky's surrealist spiritual odyssey—genuinely experimental and unhinged. If you want to *feel* what attracted people to fringe spirituality in that era, this hallucinogenic film gets closer than conventional narrative. Visually ravishing and deeply strange.

But Aggressively avant-garde. Plotless, symbolic, often grotesque. If you need coherence or narrative logic, this will exhaust you.

Tickled2016

Starts as a lark—a documentary about competitive tickling—and becomes an investigation into a bizarre underground subculture with disturbing elements. Shows how documentaries can surprise you by following the truth wherever it leads.

But Tone shifts drastically. The weirdness becomes genuinely uncomfortable. Not everyone wants that kind of tonal whiplash.

Hail Satan?2019

About the modern Satanic Temple and how they use Satanism as a lens to critique religious privilege. Directly addresses how 'Satan' is deployed as a boogeyman and what actually happens when people reclaim the symbol. Clever and irreverent.

But Satirical register may feel frivolous if you prefer your documentaries grave. Some viewers want more seriousness about these subjects.

The Source Family2013

A 1970s LA-based spiritual commune led by charismatic Father Yod. Uses archival footage and interviews to explore utopian idealism, charisma, and the gap between intention and outcome. Visually hypnotic.

But Archival material is sometimes grainy. The pacing is contemplative rather than propulsive. Easy to zone out.

Kumaré2012

A filmmaker poses as an Indian spiritual guru to explore how easily people believe what they want to. Playful but searching. Shows the mechanics of spiritual deception without being mean about it.

But The premise is a bit gimmicky. Some feel the joke overshadows the genuine inquiry. Lighter in tone than you might expect.

Mulholland Drive2001

Both ask: how much of what we believe about ourselves and our communities is real versus constructed? The film achieves this through form and mystery rather than investigation, but the question is identical.

Lynch's Hollywood labyrinth features a cult-adjacent industry that manufactures false identities and broken dreams. Not a documentary, but structurally and thematically it's about how people are shaped by systems they don't fully understand. Baroque, hypnotic, nightmarish.

But Deliberately confusing. The narrative deliberately doesn't cohere. If you hate ambiguity or need resolution, this will infuriate you.