What Actually Went on Behind Closed Doors in the Most Infamous Cults

Cults are seedy organizations you hear about on the news all the time. And you hope neither you or anyone you know will ever have to face one.

But if you’ve ever wondered what goes on inside the world’s craziest cults, we’ve got the answers right here.

The Ant Hill Kids

Roch Theriault led a Canadian doomsday cult that had convinced itself that the end of the world was coming in February 1979.

Theriault ordered nine of the women in the group to sleep with the other male cult members in order to expand their population.

Aum Shinrikyo

Aum Shinrikyo was founded in the 1980s. But it was in 1995 that locals discovered their destructive nature. The cult released Sarin gas in Tokyo’s subway, which injured over 5,000 people and took the lives of 12.

The followers had been brainwashed to believe they were fighting Japanese materialism.

Ho No Hana Sanpogyo

The Ho No Hana Sanpogyo were known as the foot reading cult. It was founded in 1987 by Hoen Fukunaga who believed he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and Buddha.

He believed he could diagnose problems by reading the soles of a person’s foot and charged $900 per reading.

Japanese cult members spent thousands of dollars on faux foot exams and training courses until he was accused of swindling people’s money.

Heaven’s Gate

The Heaven’s Gate cult was led by Marshall Applewhite. Followers believed the Earth was going to get recycled. So in March 1997, thirty-nine members poisoned themselves so their souls could ride to safety on the comet Hale-Bopp.