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Holy Hell

1. The scene that really got to me was when the former members saw Micheal in Hawaii and he had rebuilt his following after being exposed and abandoned by almost all his congregation. I reacted to this scene with disbelief, almost anger, at how these people could fall into his trap eve after being exposed. how could people knowingly follow a man who was exposed for psychological and sexual abuse? But then you realize you know exactly why its happening again. At the start of the film, i though how is this even a cult, they all found happiness and purpose in their lives. these people helped others and Micheal seemed like a genuinely good guy. As i watched them become invested in the cult, i at times thought to myself that maybe there was something to what they were doing, and maybe there still is. I myself had begun to enchanted by it all, until it all changed. This is why people follow him, they become enchanted almost by him, and while i originally though it crazy that people would continue to follow him, i understand why they chose to stay.

2. the thing that surprised me was how good it all seemed. when you think of cults, you think of the satanists, or some crazy guy preaching of the end, but this was different. Micheal preached finding God in yourself, that he wasn't the leader, at least not at first, and the whole thing was very spiritual and individual. the people that came to him originally found peace and happiness through his teachings, and perhaps they weren't all bad. that's what i found the most surprising, was how good and peaceful it all seemed.

3. the big glaring question the films leaves you with is what happened next? this is because this cult is not over, Micheal is still out there, still manipulating people,  and ultimately you just want to know if he gets caught, why he does it, and you just want to know about Micheal's past in general. some concepts the film exhibits is, a search for self, hive mentality, manipulation, finding peace, and search for acceptance/love.

4. the published review by variety was very similar to my thoughts on the film. we both found the directors ability to show the members as normal people, and they later subtle manipulation as phenomenal.

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