'Heaven's Gate: The Cults of Cults' Brings The Legend Down to Earth

Disclaimer: Trigger Warning – Mentions of Suicide

When you think of the 1997 Heaven’s Gate mass suicide, you probably don’t know much. It’s now 2020 and there may be many who don’t even know what it is. At the time, though; the Heaven’s Gate event injected itself very much into the news at the time. An SNL skit was created, it’s been referenced in Family Guy, and you may have even seen the images of bodies in tracksuits with purple sheets over them. And Nike shoes.

Remember, These Were People Too

In general, I believe the consensus about Heaven’s Gate is “oh, they’re so weird – they believed in UFOs”. It was reminding people of the Jim Jones mass suicide. But, there’s a lot that people probably didn’t know about the Heaven’s Gate cult. And HBO Max’s documentary miniseries ‘Heaven’s Gate: The Cults of Cults’ does a really good job in opening your mind. Perhaps, you even begin to feel a degree of sympathy for the people involved. The documentary humanized the members of this cult and even talked about the psychology of cults.

Are They Just Misguided? You Decide

I appreciated the testimony from former members – getting to hear their voices. I felt bad for the family members of people who participated in the mass suicide. And I learned a lot about who this leader of theirs was. How the cult originated. Unlike the Jim Jones cult, which felt as if it was truly an evil person leading these people to death, Bo seemed just as misguided as the people he led. In general, the cult always felt as if it was shaking on top of uncertainty. But, for the real believers, this was their calling. We even saw how former members ended up taking their own lives later, because they wanted to be with the others. Were Bo and his former partner Ti bad people? Or were they mentally ill individuals who never got the help they needed?

These People Should Not Be a Punchline

HBO Max’s documentary really did a good job in informing people of a 1990s moment that was misrepresented from the jump. By actually explaining what this was and speaking with people and not picturing anyone as “crazy” I think that it really added something of value. There’s so much that was unknown about Heaven’s Gate and all those who died became a punchline for years. But, they were actual people. Who had real loved ones who they weren’t allowed to see. They had a leader who seemingly could not function on his own. Everyone was stripped of their individuality and it completely played on the obsession with UFOs that have been birthed since the 1970s.

Rating: 4/5

If you have HBO Max, I highly suggest checking this documentary out. It’s four episodes and really sheds light on an event that maybe some of you are too young to even remember. Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults will make you curious, sad, angry at times, and you will look at people who are brainwashed into joining cults differently.