Editorials
‘Dagon’ and Beyond: Six of the Scariest Cults in Horror Movie History
Faith is a powerful thing. There’s almost no limit to what can be accomplished when enough people share the same beliefs. However, this power can be easily misused, and a group of misguided believers can do a lot of damage during their search for enlightenment. That’s why it’s no surprise that there are so many scary movies about the dangers of cults.
From Rosemary’s Baby to Midsommar, filmmakers have been using these volatile groups to tell some incredibly chilling stories since the beginning of cinema, and that’s precisely why we’ve decided to compile a list highlighting six of the scariest cults in horror.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining a “cult” as a fringe group of extreme believers bound by a shared (fictional) faith. And while we won’t be officially including it on the list due to a possible conflict of interests, I’d like to give a shout-out to the disturbing Paradise Gates cult from the Safe Haven segment of the Bloody Disgusting-produced V/H/S/2 (which is one of my personal favorite examples of destructive cults in film).
With that out of the way, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite horror movie cults if you think we missed a particularly spooky one.
Now, onto the list…
6. The Eden Parish Commune – The Sacrament (2013)
Nothing beats real life it comes to visceral scares, which is exactly why Ti West’s The Sacrament stands out with one of the most disturbing cults to ever grace cinema screens. Heavily inspired by the real-world 1978 Jonestown massacre, this found footage thriller places viewers directly in the middle of a mass suicide organized by a psychotic religious leader.
While the Eden Parish commune initially seems friendly enough, with members sharing heartfelt testimonies about how “Father” has turned their life around, things soon devolve into apocalyptic chaos as it’s revealed that large-scale death is their ultimate goal.
5. The Fundamentalists – Red State (2011)
While you wouldn’t expect a Kevin Smith creation to make it onto this list, Red State’s brutal depiction of Christian fundamentalists remains a surprisingly terrifying addition to the Clerks director’s filmography. Gun-toting evangelists might not seem all that scary at first, but it doesn’t take long for their fervorous belief in the rapture to really get under your skin.
Another case where the fear factor comes from how grounded these fanatic antagonists are (I mean, I’ve heard extremist preachers say worse things than the cult in this movie), Red State’s fundamentalists are also boosted by a show-stopping performance by the late, great Michael Parks as their psychotic pastor.
4. The Mother Buddha Followers – Incantation (2022)
Another found footage venture, Kevin Ko’s Incantation may take a while to get going, but once the Mother Buddha worshippers show up and you get a better grasp of what’s going on, the film transcends its Paranormal-Activity-like setup and becomes something much more disturbing.
Inspired by a real-world case of supposed mass hysteria where a family became convinced that they were under siege by demons pretending to be folk deities (and tragically ended up murdering their eldest daughter in an attempt to get rid of the evil spirits), Incantation reminds us that even when dealing with supernatural horrors, the hands that lead us to them are usually quite human.
3. The Brethren – Silent Hill (2006)
Back when it was generally accepted that there was a curse on big-screen videogame adaptations, Christophe Gans’ Silent Hill was seen as something of a breath of fresh air due to its striking visuals and passion for its source material. While we’ve seen bigger and better adaptations since then (and I hope the upcoming sequel will be one of them), I’d still argue that this 2006 thriller holds up as a white-knuckled scare-fest – and Christabella’s cult of fervent Brethren is a huge part of that.
The film takes a few liberties with the videogame version of the cult (making them vaguely Manichean instead of keeping the odd mix of Christianity and Lovecraftian mythology present in the original version), but the final act makes it clear that these delusional witch-burners are much more dangerous than Alessa herself.
2. The Esoteric Order of Dagon – Dagon (2001)
The late Stuart Gordon had to travel a long and winding road in order to get his The Shadow Over Innsmouth adaptation onto the big screen. From changing the story’s setting to coastal Spain in order to get European backing for the project to down-sizing the practical effects work of what was initially meant to be a fish-cult epic, it’s a miracle that the finished Dagon is as good as it is.
Thankfully, the many changes made to the project didn’t interfere with the real terror behind Lovecraft’s story: the Esoteric Order of Dagon. An entire fishing village that turned to worshipping a malevolent sea god in a time of crisis, their fishy mutations and sacrificial rites make them one of the most memorable cults in fiction. I also appreciate Gordon’s added detail that members of the order wear masks made of human skin in order to preserve at least some semblance of their fading humanity.
1. Mademoiselle’s Society – Martyrs (2008)
The New French Extremity was defined by grounded scares and brutal acts of violence, so it makes sense that one of the movement’s most memorable films featured a pain-worshipping cult that tortured hapless victims in a quest for insight into the afterlife.
Martyrs is certainly not for the feint of heart, featuring some of the worst acts of bodily harm ever put to film, but the implication that an entire secret society is behind these crimes somehow makes everything worse – eerily suggesting that people can overlook gruesome suffering so long as it serves their obsessive belief system.
Despite ancient humans having already overcome several potential doomsday scenarios in real life, post-apocalyptic fiction used to be relatively rare until the invention of the atomic bomb convinced us that the end of the world could be just around the proverbial corner.
Since then, we’ve seen many different stories about the collapse of civilization and the strange societies that might emerge from the rubble, but I’d argue that one of the most interesting of these apocalyptic visions is the post-nuclear America of the iconic Fallout games. A witty satire of American jingoism and cold war shenanigans, it’s honestly baffling that it so long for us to finally see a live-action adaptation of this memorable setting.
Thankfully, Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet’s Fallout TV show isn’t just a great adaptation – it’s also an incredibly fun standalone story that makes the most of its post-apocalyptic worldbuilding. And since fans are going to have to wait a while to see the much-anticipated second season, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six post-apocalyptic thrillers to watch if you’re still craving more Fallout!
As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own apocalyptic favorites if you think we missed a particularly fun one. And while it’s not on the list, I’d also like to give a shout-out to The Hughes Brothers’ underrated post-apocalyptic action flick The Book of Eli – which I recently covered in its own article.
With that out of the way, onto the list…
6. The Divide (2011)
Xavier Gens may be best known for his memorable contribution to the New French Extremity movement – with the eerily prescient Frontière(s) – but the filmmaker is also responsible for a handful of underrated thrillers that flew under the radar despite being legitimately solid films. One of the most interesting of these flicks is 2011’s The Divide, a single-location exercise in claustrophobic tension.
Telling the story of a group of New Yorkers who find themselves trapped in a bomb shelter after a surprise nuclear attack, this dark thriller is more interested in the ensuing social chaos than effects-heavy physical destruction. And while critics at the time were horrified by the bleak story and cynical characters, I think this mean streak is precisely what makes The Divide worth watching.
5. The Day After (1983)
One of the highest-rated TV films of all time, ABC’s The Day After is one of the scariest movies ever made despite being more of a speculative docu-drama than an actual genre flick. Following an ensemble of families, doctors and scientists as they deal with the horrific aftermath of all-out nuclear war, this radioactive cautionary tale was vital in convincing real-world politicians to review their policies about nuclear deterrence.
In fact, the film is even credited with scaring President Ronald Reagan into changing his mind about expanding the United States’ nuclear arsenal, with this new stance eventually leading to a treaty with the Soviet Union. With a story this powerful, I think it’s safe to say that The Day After is a must watch for Fallout fans interested in the more down-to-earth elements of the apocalypse.
4. The Postman (1997)
If I had a nickel for each unfairly maligned post-apocalyptic epic starring Kevin Costner that was released in the 90s, I’d have two nickels – which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. And while Waterworld has since seen a resurgence in popularity with fans defending it as a bizarrely expensive B-movie, I haven’t seen a lot of discussion surrounding 1997’s more serious vision of a fallen America, The Postman.
Following Costner (who also directed the flick) as a post-apocalyptic nomad who begins to rebuild America by pretending to be a member of the newly reformed postal service, this David Brin adaptation is consistently fascinating – especially if you view the story as a cynical fairy-tale, which was Costner’s original intention.
And while the flick suffers from some goofy dialogue and a bloated runtime, it makes up for this by having directly inspired Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding.
3. Turbo Kid (2015)
Turbo Kid may have been billed as an indie Mad Max with bicycles instead of cars, but François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell’s comedic throwback to the post-apocalyptic future of 1997 is much more than meets the eye. From quirky characters to madly creative designs, the flick rises above nostalgia bait by being a legitimately fun time even if you don’t get the copious amounts of ’80s and ’90s references.
And despite the horror-inspired ultraviolence that colors the frequent action scenes as we follow a young comic-book fan deluding himself into thinking that he’s a superhero, it’s the childlike sense of wonder that really makes this a treat for cinephiles. It’s just a shame that we’re still waiting on the sequel that was announced back in 2016…
2. Six-String Samurai (1998)
A lo-fi homage to spaghetti westerns and classic samurai films – not to mention the golden age of rock ‘n roll – Six-String Samurai is a must-watch for those who appreciate weird cinema. While I’ve already written about the madly creative vibes that make this such an entertaining flick, I think it’s worth repeating just in case some of you have yet to give this musical fever dream a try.
And appropriately enough for this list, the film was also a source of inspiration for the 3D Fallout games – especially Obsidian’s fan favorite New Vegas. The game even includes a New Vegas Samurai achievement (unlocked by killing enemies with a katana) with a vault-boy illustration modeled after the film’s rendition of Buddy Holly.
1. A Boy and His Dog (1975)
The grisly post-apocalyptic comedy that inspired the original Fallout games, L.Q. Jones’ adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s novella is just as shocking today as it was back in ’75. Telling the story of a teenage scavenger who travels the wastelands of 2024 America alongside his telepathic canine companion, A Boy and His Dog feels like a Heavy Metal comic brought to life.
While the film’s rampant misogyny and brutal violence make it tough to revisit under modern sensibilities, it’s still a landmark in post-apocalyptic cinema and one hell of a memorable ride. Not only that, but the flick also inspired the creation of Fallout’s most beloved NPC, the ever-loyal Dogmeat.
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