Movie Spotlight: Holy Hell
I recently listened to an episode of Hollyweird Paranormal that focused on the Buddhafield cult, and it was so interesting that I decided to watch Holy Hell, a 2016 documentary by Will Allen, who was a member of the sadistic cult for 22 years. The Buddhafield cult was started by a man known as Michel in 1980s West Hollywood; Will Allen (whose sister was a member) joined in 1985 at the age of 22 when his mother kicked him out of the house for being homosexual. Since Allen was a film school graduate, he became the cult's documentarian, and that's how Holy Hell came to be.
Holy Hell includes captivating interviews with former Buddhafield members and illuminating footage taken during Allen's two decades in the group. Some of the things I found most interesting:
-One night Michel told Allen that he "had been up all night arguing with God" and that Allen was fated to die in an accident but would be okay as long as he followed Michel's guidance.
-Michel was a former ballet dancer and actor (mostly porn) with a penchant for Speedos. He expected his followers to abstain from sex, yet he was sleeping with several male members of the group. Many other members were secretly hooking up, and whenever someone got pregnant, Michel would tell the woman she either had to get an abortion or leave the group.
-Michel only wanted beautiful people in his cult, and if someone wasn't up to his standards, he would suggest plastic surgery. Also, whenever Michel wanted any type of plastic surgery, he would make someone else in the group undergo the procedure first to make sure it was safe.
-One member said that Michel forced her to lie and tell everyone that she had cancer so he could "cure" it.
-Several young men accused Michel of sexual abuse in 2007, and that led to many Buddhafield members finally realizing that they were in a cult and making the decision to leave.
Holy Hell is the story of people who wanted to be accepted and feel closer to God but made the mistake of trusting a manipulative narcissist who used and abused them. This documentary is a fascinating look at life in a cult, and kudos to Allen for being brave enough to share his story.
My rating: 8/10
You can watch Holy Hell here:
Holy Hell on Netflix
Holy Hell includes captivating interviews with former Buddhafield members and illuminating footage taken during Allen's two decades in the group. Some of the things I found most interesting:
-One night Michel told Allen that he "had been up all night arguing with God" and that Allen was fated to die in an accident but would be okay as long as he followed Michel's guidance.
-Michel was a former ballet dancer and actor (mostly porn) with a penchant for Speedos. He expected his followers to abstain from sex, yet he was sleeping with several male members of the group. Many other members were secretly hooking up, and whenever someone got pregnant, Michel would tell the woman she either had to get an abortion or leave the group.
-Michel only wanted beautiful people in his cult, and if someone wasn't up to his standards, he would suggest plastic surgery. Also, whenever Michel wanted any type of plastic surgery, he would make someone else in the group undergo the procedure first to make sure it was safe.
-One member said that Michel forced her to lie and tell everyone that she had cancer so he could "cure" it.
-Several young men accused Michel of sexual abuse in 2007, and that led to many Buddhafield members finally realizing that they were in a cult and making the decision to leave.
Holy Hell is the story of people who wanted to be accepted and feel closer to God but made the mistake of trusting a manipulative narcissist who used and abused them. This documentary is a fascinating look at life in a cult, and kudos to Allen for being brave enough to share his story.
My rating: 8/10
You can watch Holy Hell here:
Holy Hell on Netflix
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