Modern Cults

Opening our eyes to the darkness.

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 ...

Is American democracy more fragile than we like to believe? This book offers a direct, fact-based analysis of Donald Trump’s rise to power, focusing on how authoritarian political strategies can reappear in modern democratic systems. It is a highly readable, fact‑driven political analysis that compares Trump’s rise and methods with the early playbook of Adolf Hitler - both using speeches, political tactics, elections, and laws to gain and hold power. The comparison concerns how power is pursued and consolidated, not how Hitler later exercised power once in office. Drawing on ...

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...

In the fog-shrouded ruins of Innsmouth and beyond the edges of the known world, ancient tides are turning, and the deep remembers everything humanity has forgotten. In this haunting collection of Lovecraft-inspired tales, Mark Watson leads readers into the shadowed corners of New England’s coast, drowned cities, and bleak cosmic vistas where reality frays and eldritch entities whisper through brine and darkness. What begins as the search for a missing woman in a decaying seaside town unfolds into a broader tapestry of forbidden cults, Deep One pacts, cyclopean architecture, and the ever-...

In 1993, David Koresh and a band of heavily armed evangelical Christians took on the might of the US government. A two-month siege of their compound in Waco, Texas, ended in a firefight that killed seventy-six, including twenty-five children. America is still picking up the pieces, and we still haven't heard the full story.

One-on-one with Satan. A chilling and highly convincing account of possession and exorcism in modern America, hailed by NBC Radio as "one of the most stirring books on the contemporary scene."

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. ...

“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 ...

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...

Step inside one of the most unusual and talked-about intentional communities in the world. For decades, the Twelve Tribes—known to many as the Yellow Deli people—have fascinated outsiders with their simple living, communal lifestyle, and distinct interpretation of the Bible. Yet just as often, they have sparked confusion, controversy, and passionate debate. This book provides a clear, accessible, and deeply informative look at the beliefs, daily life, history, and inner workings of the Twelve Tribes community. Drawing from detailed research and community accounts, it explores: How the ...

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...

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...

David Koresh and the Branch Davidians: Inside the History, Beliefs, Leadership, and Tragic Legacy of the Waco Siege offers a clear, thorough, and accessible examination of one of the most controversial events in modern American history. This book guides readers through the origins of the Branch Davidians, the rise of David Koresh, and the theological ideas that shaped the Mount Carmel community. Through careful explanation and well structured chapters, the book explores how Koresh’s prophetic interpretations, charismatic leadership, and influence over his followers formed the foundation ...

Home-Made Creepypasta: Book One - The First 100 Stories Step into the heart of internet horror with Home-Made Creepypasta: Book One - The First 100 Stories, a chilling anthology that collects the first 100 twisted tales from the Fiction by Mark Watson Substack. These stories aren’t just fiction, they’re warnings, glitches in the veil between imagination and what’s lurking in the dark. These stories were unearthed from strange inboxes, written in sleep paralysis, and shared with trembling hands. Whether you’re a long-time fan of creepypasta or new to the genre, this book invites you ...

Grounded in investigative research and real survivor stories, Surviving Modern Yoga uncovers the physical and sexual abuse perpetrated by Ashtanga yoga leader Pattabhi Jois—and reckons with the culture, structures, and mythos that enabled it. Yoga culture sells well-meaning westerners the full...

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...

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...

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....

Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside them? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of cult leaders and the people who join them? Based on the hit podcast Cults, this is essential reading for any true crime fan. Cults prey...