Storyline
An inside look at a West Hollywood cult formed by a charismatic teacher in the 1980s that eventually imploded.
Cast: Amy Allen -
Herself
Cristala Allen -
Herself
Gina Allen -
Herself
Will Allen -
Himself
(as William Francesco Allen)
Jennifer Baca -
Herself
Alessandra Burenin -
Herself
Vera Cheiffo -
Herself
David Christopher -
Himself
Phillipe Coquet -
Himself
Radhia Gleis -
Herself
Julian Goldstein -
Himself
Greg Gorey -
Himself
Murti Hower -
Himself
Chris Johnston -
Himself
Danielle Lefemine -
Herself
Country: USA
Language: English
Release Date: 3 Jan 2016
Technical Specs
Runtime:
User Review
Author:
Rating:
Holy Hell is a movie that attempts to show what life inside a cult is
really like. The movie starts out interesting for sure. The archival
footage is engaging and some of it seems very beautiful for the people
participating.
However, at some point in the movie the whole plot devolves into the
cliché "cult propganda" buzzwords we hear so much about in Hollywood.
Brainwashing, sexual perversion, etc...
I saw this film at Sundance because the news articles about it
discussed how many of the former members came forward to tell their
experience. Unfortunately in the film what I saw were a close group of
friends who all had the same story. When I watch a documentary I expect
to see all the points of view that culminate in me, the viewer, being
allowed to reach my own decision. Instead what I saw was a carefully
constructed narrative to lead the viewer to a specific conclusion. By
the end of the film I felt like I was having Will Allen's point of view
thrown at me, without any exploration of the supposed 100s of other
people involved.
In short, the film trades in it's initial joy and wonder for a run of
the mill "this guy made me do it" cult story.
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