Television series
Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults
- Mystery
- Very dark
A four-part HBO documentary that reconstructs one of America's strangest religious movements through survivor testimony and archival material. Heaven's Gate examines how a small group came to believe they could escape Earth aboard a spacecraft, and what led 39 members to end their lives in 1997. Bracingly clear-eyed without being sensational—it treats its subjects as people, not spectacle.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you want a patient, first-person look at how a cult pulled ordinary people in, and you'd rather understand its believers as people trying to make sense of their lives than be handed a jolt.
Skip it if you want the outlandish UFO premise played for lurid entertainment, since this stays sober about people whose lives were badly damaged and rarely indulges in spectacle.
What it asks of you: Four short episodes built on interviews and archival footage, unhurried and steady, rewarding patient attention more than quick cuts or a hook.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief2015
Alex Gibney's masterwork on how charismatic leadership and isolation can trap intelligent people in irrational belief systems. Clinical but devastating, with firsthand accounts that echo Heaven's Gate's dynamics.
But It's two hours of methodical argument, not thriller pacing. Some viewers find it repetitive in its cataloguing of abuse.
Waco2018
A six-part series that dissects another apocalyptic standoff with the same unflinching empathy for believers and investigators alike. The parallel between charismatic leaders and follower psychology is clarifying.
But It lingers on the federal siege itself, which becomes genuinely difficult to watch. The final episodes are heavy.
The Vow2020
A season-long investigation into NXIVM, a self-help cult that ensnared thousands. Like Heaven's Gate, it shows how persuasive recruitment works and how ordinary intelligent people rationalize staying.
But The second half becomes more crime procedural than spiritual inquiry. Some find the focus shifts away from what made it compelling.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Holy Mountain1973
Both examine what the human mind will accept as truth when it desperately wants transcendence. Jodorowsky shows the seduction; Heaven's Gate shows the cost.
Jodorowsky's surrealist masterpiece about spiritual seekers on a bizarre pilgrimage toward enlightenment. It's visually deranged, but it captures something real about the seductive pull of esoteric belief—the hunger that cults exploit.
But It's genuinely difficult: three hours of non-narrative symbolism that requires patience and tolerance for the obscene. Many viewers find it pretentious or simply alienating.
More like this (7)
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath2016
Leah Remini's series operates in the same register as Heaven's Gate—survivor testimonies, institutional analysis, and the question of how someone leaves after years inside. Raw and specific.
But Remini's presence can feel like the story orbits her instead of the subject. Pacing is uneven across episodes.
The Keepers2017
A seven-part series about institutional abuse within the Catholic Church. It shares Heaven's Gate's investigative patience and willingness to let survivors speak at length without editorializing.
But It's sprawling and sometimes loses focus between multiple narrative threads. Some scenes involving abuse are genuinely traumatizing.
Fyre2019
A taut documentary about charismatic con artistry and how belief in an idea (or a person) overrides evidence. The psychology of wanting to believe is briskly, amusingly dissected.
But It's more ironic than empathetic. The lightness of tone won't suit viewers seeking something weightier.
The Toys That Made Us2017
Each episode explores how marketing and shared belief can create cultish devotion in consumers. It's lighter fare, but the mechanics of belief-building are genuinely instructive.
But It's nostalgic and fluffy—nothing like the gravity of Heaven's Gate. The tonal whiplash isn't for everyone.
The Bold Type2017
A brief docuseries about internet influencer culture and manufactured belief. It's the 2020s version of examining why people surrender judgment to charismatic figures.
But It's glib and rushed. The analysis stays surface-level, and at 25 minutes an episode it feels lightweight.
The Act of Killing2012
Both films trust subjects enough to let them speak and contradict themselves. Both ask: how do people live with what they've done and believed?
An Indonesian documentary where perpetrators of genocide re-enact their crimes. Like Heaven's Gate, it doesn't judge from outside but asks people to confront what they've done and believed. The intimacy is devastating.
But It's not about Western cult; the historical gulf is wide. Watching people reenact mass murder is psychologically brutal in ways that might feel exploitative.
The Midnight Gospel2020
Both ask what we believe about death and transcendence. Heaven's Gate shows catastrophe; this show asks what meaning-making looks like when mortality is real.
An animated comedy series about a podcaster visiting dying worlds. Episodes pivot without warning into conversations about death, meaning, and acceptance. It's wildly funny and then suddenly profound about existential dread.
But The animation is deliberately crude. The tonal shifts between absurdist comedy and grief will jar viewers wanting consistency. One episode involves simulated drug use.
People
Production
- Amy EntelisExecutive Producer
- Chris BannonExecutive Producer
- Clay TweelExecutive Producer
- Eric SpiegelmanExecutive Producer
- Erik DiehnExecutive Producer
- Lyle GammExecutive Producer
- Peter ClowneyExecutive Producer
- Ross DinersteinExecutive Producer
- Shannon RiggsExecutive Producer