What’s scarier than a murderer? Someone with the charisma to compel others to kill for them . . . or to kill themselves. Meet these cult leaders—and get an inside look at their beliefs and how they controlled others. Some cults, led by leaders like Charlie Manson, Jim Jones, and David Koresh, are notorious. But others are less well known, such as Shoko Asahara and his doomsday cult, Aum Shinrikyo, who orchestrated the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. Or Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret, who founded the Order of the Solar Temple, a doomsday cult that led to the death of 51 members by murder or suicide. Then there is Marshall Applewhite, leader of Heaven’s Gate, who, along with 38 followers, killed themselves in the belief that the Hale-Bopp comet signaled the arrival of a spaceship that would transport them to a higher plane of existence. What makes cult leaders so compelling is their often-unfathomable power over their adherents. Why do people kill others or themselves for a questionable set of beliefs? Killer Cults tells the stories behind both famous and unfamiliar cults, and the people behind them. Across a series of profiles, we learn the jaw-dropping truth behind some of the most mystifying and deadly cults, and their leaders, all of whom led their followers down a dark, murderous path.
Killer cults horrify us-and fascinate us. Their leaders demand obedience from their followers, even when the ends are deadly. Manson is perhaps the most notorious, but history is filled with brutal cult leaders: Jim Jones, David Koresh, Marshall Applewhite, Shoko Asahara. How do these men take hold of so many lives?
Deranged messiahs...brainwashed devotees...deadly consequences. Descend into the harrowing world of the Killer Cults. See for yourself how bands of self-proclaimed "angels of death," fueled by lust, power and the thrill of death, committed unspeakable acts of violence. Now, for the first time, author James J. Boyle takes you inside the inner sanctum of: The Manson Family: They prayed to their own warped vision of the Holy Trinity-- sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Under the spell of Charles Manson, a two-bit ex-con they worshipped as a god, they butchered nine people in their 1969 Hollywood killing spree, including beautiful actress Sharon Tate and her unborn child. The People's Temple: Reverend Jim Jones offered his congregation a vision of heaven and earth. Little did they know that following him to the South American jungle to await the Apocalypse would put them on the path to Hell. Luc Jouret and The Solar Temple: Belgian spiritualist Luc Jouret warned that the world would end in environmental armageddon. For Jouret and 53 followers of his secretive New Age cult, the end would come all too soon-- in a fiery mass-death ritual that shocked the world, and shattered the peace of an idyllic Swiss Alpine community. With 8 pages of harrowing photographs!
An adult activity book collaboration between artist/illustrator Shane Owen AKA SamHane and filmmaker/author John Borowski. Includes: 25 illustrations to color with information on each person, spot the difference Ed Kemper Quiz, and a full color Pogo Mask is included on the back cover! The book was created so that after coloring an image, the page can be torn out and framed as the reverse side of each illustration has historical facts on each case.
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 on the very attributes that make us human: our desire to belong, to find a deeper meaning in life, to live everyday with divine purpose. Their existence creates a sense that any one of us, at any time, could step off the cliff’s edge and fall into that daunting abyss of manipulation and unhinged dedication to a misplaced cause. Perhaps it’s this mindset that keeps us so utterly obsessed and desperate to learn more, or it’s that the stories are so bizarre and unsettling that we are simply in awe of the mechanics that make these infamous groups tick. The premier storytelling podcast studio Parcast has been focusing on unearthing these mechanics—the cult leaders and followers, and the world and culture that gave birth to both. Parcast’s work in analyzing dozens of case studies has revealed patterns: distinct ways that cult leaders from different generations resemble one another. What links the ten notorious figures profiled in Cults are as disturbing as they are stunning—from Manson to Applewhite, Koresh to Raël, the stories woven here are both spellbinding and disturbing. Cults is more than just a compilation of grisly biographies, however. In these pages, Parcast’s founder Max Cutler and national bestselling author Kevin Conley look closely at the lives of some of the most disreputable cult figures and tell the stories of their rise to power and fall from grace, sanity, and decency. Beyond that, it is a study of humanity, an unflinching look at what happens when the most vulnerable recesses of the mind are manipulated and how the things we hold most sacred can be twisted into the lowest form of malevolence.
The instant Sunday Times bestseller from the UK's number one true crime podcast, RedHanded! What is it about killers, cults, and cannibals that capture our imaginations even as they terrify and disturb us? How do we carefully consume these cases and what can they teach us about what makes victims and their murderers our collective responsibility? RedHanded rejects the outdated narrative of killers as monsters and that a victim 'was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.' Instead, it dissects the stories of killers in a way that challenges perceptions and asks the hard questions about society, gender, poverty, culture, and even our politics. With Bala and Maguire's trademark humour, research on real-life cases, and unflinching analysis of what makes a criminal, the authors take you through the societal, behavioural, and cultural drivers of the most extreme of human behaviour to find out once and for all: what makes a killer tick?
They arrive alive. They leave dead.But first, they give me their confessions.My name is Jack Steen. That name shouldn't mean anything to you. Unless you're about to die. And then I'm your bloody guardian angel. I work as a night nurse in the Asylum for the criminally insane. My name is the only real name you'll find in this book. I won't tell you which hospital I work at. I won't tell you the names of those dying.But I won't lie to you.You'll read exactly what I'm told. If you're smart, if you're deranged enough to read between the lines, you'll know who is telling the story.They could be playing their final game with me by messing with my head. Now, maybe they're messing with yours too.Inside this book are 4 confessions: One has an interesting 'appetite'. One was the Ken to his Barbie, and he would do anything to keep her happy.Another is a Nanny, but not one you want watching your kids.The other is the sweetest soul you'd ever meet but you'll have a hard time reading her confession. WARNING: There is swearing in this book. And some stories might be a trigger for something you have a hard time handling. But, these are the confessions of serial killers, mass murderers and such. NOTE: These once were published as novellas. Now they're in a full length novel. Deal with it.Want to read the next set of Confession books? Sign up for my mailing list - I'm told all the real authors have one, so I figured why not
How does a Vampire Cult differ from a Satanic Cult? How do seemingly normal or ordinary citizens suddenly find themselves committed to a group whose leader promotes criminal activities and isolation from families and friends? What should you do if a loved one becomes indoctrinated by a potentially dangerous cult? This book focuses on various cults and their often criminal belief systems. Most readers are shocked by stories of mass suicides and ritualized cult killings, but few understand how such crimes come to be committed. Snow, a seasoned police officer with experience working on cult crimes, examines those cults that commit offenses from murder and fraud to kidnapping and sexual assault. By providing specific accounts of dangerous cults and their destructive acts, Snow illustrates how seemingly innocent groups can turn pernicious when under the sway of a charismatic leader with an agenda, or when members take things too far. He offers advice on how to avoid falling victim to cult indoctrination, concluding with chapters on how to identify cults, how to protect yourself and your family, and what to do if a loved one is ensnared by such a group.
AN ANTHOLOGY OF RELIGIOUS CULTS GONE WRONGTHE CULT OF SANTA MUERTEWhat is our picture of the perfect grandmother? Surely, they should be loving, spoilers of their grandchildren. Grandmothers should be a source of advice and support to their own children. Being a parent is a tough job, and the experience and skills that the older generation can offer can be a life-saver during the good times, let alone when things get tough.But in the case of Silvia Meraz Moreno, we see a different side of the loving Grandma. Life taker is a better term to describe this grandmother than life saver. She led her family to slaughter her own grandson, sacrificing him to the altar of Santa Muerte, a bizarre and frightening cult whose base in Mexico is spreading, like some cankerous disease, to other parts of the world. In particular, to the United States.THE SERIAL KILLERS OF DEVIL RANCHSara Aldrete, a seemingly normal college student, and cult leader Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo were the Godfather and Godmother of the most sadistic serial killing cult in modern history. They formed a religious group/drug gang which terrorized a Mexican border town with ritual torture and human sacrifice. These sacrifices were undertaken in order to "bless" their illegal drug dealings in Matamoros, Mexico. The disappearance and death of Mark J. Kilroy during Spring break of 1989, however, would finally put an end to their reign of sadism and terror.THE CULT OF CHARLES MANSONA look back at the many women who become followers of Charles Manson during his Helter Skelter siege in California in the 60s & 70s. All were hippie girls who became loyal to the maniac who told them to kill for him...Among those featured here are the stripper Susan Atkins, a sweet-voiced stripper whose looks belied a devil within. Leslie Van Houten who was an educated young woman that became a murderous animal under Manson's control. Patricia Krenwinkel and Squeaky Fromme, who were mentally unbalanced women that became puppets under the psychotic Manson.CLARA SCHWARTZ AND THE OCCULTThe story of Clara Schwartz is one of a troubled young woman who had a turbulent relationship with her father. While this is certainly not an unusual situation, the outcome, in the case, was deadly. In December of 2001, Schwartz enlisted the help of friends, including a mentally ill teenager, to murder her father Robert Schwartz. Through an elaborate and twisted role-playing game, Schwartz turned a few misfits into a band of loyal followers who would kill for her.BONUS SHORT STORY : THE CULTIES (BASED ON A TRUE LIFE EXPERIENCE)Jen is a documentary filmmaker who decides to make a movie about the Process Church in North Dakota. She knows that the church has ties to various murders, Charles Manson and the Son of Sam and she finds some of the townspeople eager to share their stories. But soon a series of unexplained events begin happening...the people she has spoken to have disappeared, been found murdered and she finds her room spray painted with deadly warnings. Can she find out the secret of the cult and expose their murderous crimes to the police before it is too late?
