It makes sense that a closed, secretive world full of strange rules and rituals would appeal to film-makers but the sheer number of films about strange sects makes it more than a passing fascination. The cult has become a well-established cinematic trope.
Here are ten films that are worth your time:
Midsommar (2019) – Amazon Rent/Buy
Ari Aster, who also helmed Hereditary (another cult-themed movie), directs this fine-looking folk horror picture which depicts off-the-beaten-track Swedish communities as pagan holdouts where human sacrifice to the old Norse gods is still practised. Midsommar owes a considerable debt to The Wicker Man (1973), but still manages to carve out (sic) its own unique identity, with the ghastly denouement foreshadowed from the get-go. The movie also has echoes of 2017’s The Ritual, which we’ll discuss shortly.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) – Sky Movies, Amazon Buy
Quentin Tarantino’s wish-fulfilment/alternative history take on the 1969 Manson Family murders of Sharon Tate and friends is over long and indulgent but is still a great movie.
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