It's time to take another look at religion in popular culture, in particular, cults in film, and why we love telling these stories.

The Wicker Man (Either Christopher Lee's 1973 classic, or Nicolas Cage's 2006 remake) is a fantastic story about a man trying to save a girl who doesn't want to be saved from the cult of her little island town.

The Ritual  (2017) takes some liberties with Norse paganism, but so do more popular franchises, telling us a great reason to be careful in the woods, and avoid unfamiliar shortcuts.

The Ninth Gate (1999) is a bold story of a book dealer who gets in deep with dangerous people, and brushes too close to hell.

Midsommar (2019) tells us how people are attracted to cults, and shows us how tricky it can be to see danger when distracted by grief.

The Village (2004) is a brilliant tale of authoritarian control, with a typical early M Night Shyamalan twist.

Rosemary's Baby (1868)  and Apostle (2018) are horrors of what many Christians fear of their neighbors, and it makes good storytelling.

The Mist (2007) shows us how a cult can rapidly emerge when fear is the most powerful currency in the wake of disaster.

Marvel's Runaways (2017-19)  was a fun exploration of how a powerful person comes to be the foundation of a cult.

All these stories help us to understand ourselves a little better, and explore the fear of losing control.

All this and more.... 

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