Cults on Film

Recruitment, radicalization and light sabers. This week Stephen explores the Star Wars Universe to discover classic cult recruitment techniques and why Uncle Owen wasn't the guy you thought he was.

Apostasy is fictional story, but very much drawn from real life experiences of a Jehovah’s Witness family, mother Ivanna and her daughters Luisa and Alex dealing with the demands of the religious group often described as a cult. The 2017 film is directed by Daniel Kokotajlo starring Molly Wright, Sacha Parkinson and Siobhan Finneran. This episode is close to home for the host, Stephen Mather as he was raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, leaving when he was around 30.

Star Trek First Contact features one of the show's baddest of baddies The Borg. The Borg lead a life devoid of all individualism. Ex cult members often liken their in-cult life as like being a member of the Borg collective. Your host, organizational psychologist, ex cult member and researcher into the effect of high control groups, Stephen Mather explores what Borg can tell us about cult life.

The Invisible Man directed by Leigh Whannell, starring Elisabeth Moss, on the face of it might not seem an obvious choice for a podcast featuring movies on cults, but despite its sci fi heritage it's actually a story about coercive control. Your host, organizational psychologist, ex cult member and researcher into the effect of high control groups, Stephen Mather explores what the story tells us about the techniques of coercive power and control often seen in abusive relationships and cults.