People Magazine Investigates: Cults

Prophet David Berg attracts thousands of followers as the Children of God cult spreads through communes around the world; his free love message turns sinister, espousing prostitution, sexual abuse of children and rampant violence in prison camps.

In the late 1960s, Charles Manson entices dozens of young women to live with him in a California desert commune; Manson orders his followers to commit a string of gruesome murders that still haunt the national psyche.

In 1997, Heaven's Gate leader Marshall Applewhite convinces 39 people to follow him to their graves; the world sees the event as the largest mass suicide on U.S. soil, but for Applewhite's followers, it is a way to catch a UFO to heaven.

In 2014, a severed human leg draws attention to The Work, an apocalyptic cult; known as the Sinful Messiah, Julius Shacknow commands total devotion and terrible sacrifice, called "the special work," as the only way to achieve eternal salvation.

Charismatic preacher Sam Fife inspires a worldwide network of nondenominational Christian groups; to prepare for the apocalypse, followers renounce everything to move to the wilderness where they're subjected to beatings, exorcisms and brainwashing.

Lost souls flock to North Carolina where they're promised deliverance from demons by Pastor Jane Whaley at the Word of Faith Fellowship; however, deliverance comes at a price, including beatings, medical horrors and psychological abuse.

Survivors and journalists explore the deeply disturbing world of cults. They reveal the shocking stories of ordinary people who got caught up in a terrifying web of abuse, deception and manipulation.