Modern Cults

Audrey expects organic smoothies and sunset selfies at her influencer friend's wellness retreat — the one promising to teach women how to attract a husband. Instead, she finds McKinley crawling across the kitchen floor at 3 AM, hands raw and bleeding, chanting about being the "perfect modern wife."

Bloomsbury presents It's Not a Cult, written and read by Joey Batey. 'I loved it straight away ... characters so vivid you feel like they might be living in your wardrobe right now' NATASHA PULLEY, author of THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET 'Gloriously over-the-top and under-the-skin [with]...

Includes exclusive audio cameos from One Tree Hill cast members Tyler Hilton, Paul Johansson, James Lafferty, and Chad Michael Murray! An “incredible” (Alex Cooper, Call Her Daddy), “riveting” (People) New York Times bestselling memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her...

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the bestselling author of Cultish and host of the podcast Sounds Like a Cult, a delicious blend of cultural criticism and personal narrative that explores our cognitive biases and the power, disadvantages, and highlights of magical thinking. Utilizing the...

Firebrand NY Times columnist and bestselling author Lindy West unpacks the beloved rom-coms and cult classics we love in order to dissect the culture we've created. Lindy West was once the in-house movie critic for Seattle's alternative newsweekly The Stranger, where she covered film with brutal...

Opening our eyes to the darkness.

“Life is currently on hold while I read the series” - Goodreads reviewer The past taints everything. Wynter has helped to create a safe home with her family. Her music career is taking off with an overseas recording opportunity and a new all-girl rock band. Her brothers could use some help. Indio returns from London and there's a room waiting for him if he'll take it, as well as an old flame in the wings. Caleb has a new chance at love, and Jesse continues his search for the perfect girl. Out of the blue, their mother Miriam returns seeking reconciliation. Her years of neglect have ...

The History of Slasher Films: From Cult Classics to Modern Horror Icons is your ultimate guide to one of cinema’s most enduring—and thrilling—genres. Whether you're a longtime horror fan or just discovering the thrill of the Final Girl, this engaging and in-depth book traces the evolution of the slasher film from its early roots in the 1930s to its 21st-century reinvention. Packed with fascinating film history, cultural analysis, iconic characters, and must-watch movie recommendations, this book explores how slasher movies reflect our fears, challenge social norms, and continue to ...

From Catriona Ward, the international bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street comes Little Eve, a heart-pounding tale of faith and family, with a devastating twist. Winner of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel. “A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be...

This program is read by the authors (David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker), Laura Orrico and Joe Praino, with special appearances by an all-star cast of comedy giants, including the film's stars, Julie Hagerty and Robert Hays, as well as Beau Bridges, Barry Diller, Michael Eisner, Peter...

Spine-chilling and sharp, Anne Heltzel's Just Like Mother is a modern gothic from a fresh new voice in horror, and “is set to be one of the year's most talked about books” (Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author). *A Most Anticipated Title by LitReactor, Bloody Disgusting, Book Riot...

What do we really know about modern practicing polygamists - not fictional ones like the Henrickson family on HBO’s Big Love? We’ve seen the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the news, the underage brides in pioneer dresses on a Texas ranch. But the FLDS is just one of many groups that have broken with mainstream Mormonism to follow those parts of Joseph Smith’s doctrine disavowed by the LDS Church. Gaining unprecedented access to these communities, journalist Sanjiv Bhattacharya reveals a shadow country....

The Guru Lies That Ate Your Life They promised clarity, purpose, and peace. What they delivered was control. Guru Lies That Ate Your Life At some point, the guidance stopped helping and started costing more than it gave. The clarity promised by gurus, coaches, and modern spiritual authorities began to feel conditional. Progress required constant validation. Doubt was reframed as personal failure. And the responsibility for broken promises always landed in the same place: on you. Guru Lies That Ate Your Life examines how modern gurus establish authority, build dependency, and maintain ...

I got the cat because my therapist said I needed “connection” and my sister said I needed “less silence.” I did not realize this would involve chanting, blood contracts, or a pamphlet printed on unsettlingly good paper. At first, it’s just a cat. Aloof. Judgmental. Stares at the corner of the room like it’s watching something I can’t see. Normal cat stuff. Then he starts leaving the flat at night. Coming back smelling like incense and damp carpet. Then I find the symbol. Then the meetings. Then the gentle but very firm suggestion that I’m holding him back from his destiny. ...

Margaret Murray Explained: The Witch-Cult Theory, Ancient Pagan Survival, Egyptian Archaeology, Folklore Traditions, and the Origins of Modern Witchcraft Debate Who was Margaret Murray, and why did her ideas change the way people think about witches, pagan religion, and European history? Margaret Murray was an Egyptologist, archaeologist, and historian whose controversial theory about a secret pagan witch cult reshaped twentieth century discussions about witchcraft, folklore, and religion. In Margaret Murray Explained: The Witch-Cult Theory, Ancient Pagan Survival, Egyptian Archaeology, ...

Kaleidoscopic culture critic Chuck Klosterman rewrites the history of reality, built off a question that has never been asked or (in all likelihood) even considered: What if Phillip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle was actually about rock music? The Velvet Underground & Nico was released...

The History of Body Horror Films: From Grotesque Origins to Modern Mutation is the ultimate guide for horror lovers, film students, and pop culture enthusiasts who want to dive deep into one of cinema’s most disturbing and thought-provoking subgenres. This comprehensive, 6000-word book explores the evolution of body horror movies from their eerie beginnings in early cinema to their grotesque peaks during the golden age of gore, all the way to their reemergence in today’s era of prestige horror. Discover how visionary directors like David Cronenberg, Shinya Tsukamoto, and Julia Ducournau...

From the author of the global bestseller The Secret History of the World comes an epic new history of the relationship between spiritual belief and cutting-edge science. Jonathan Black shows that from Marie Curie to today's architects of AI, many of our greatest scientists have been guided by...

In Matthew Lyons' pulse-pounding crime horror, A Mask of Flies, a criminal on the run after a failed heist must confront dark family secrets and demons from her past made flesh. THE PAST HAS TEETH In the grisly aftermath of a botched bank heist, career criminal Anne Heller has no choice but to...

The strange and sinister world of cults is a source of endless fascination. Their secrets, rituals and shadowy hierarchies make for some of the most disturbing and shocking revelations in history. Most chilling of all is the fact that many of their followers forfeit all independence in order to carry out the often sadistic bidding of a mysterious master manipulator - and continue to defend their leader to this day.