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From the outside, it’s baffling how easily someone can be pulled into a cult. We’ve seen the pattern a thousand times: A charismatic predator preys on the vulnerable by promising community, only to replace their identity with absolute control. By the time the followers realize they're trapped, the "family" has become a prison.

This terrifying psychological shift is exactly why we are so obsessed with cults on screen. There is a reason "drinking the Kool-Aid" remains such a haunting part of our vocabulary; whether it’s historical tragedies like Jonestown or fictional thrillers like Netflix's recent "Unchosen," we are fascinated by how easily a narcissist can hoodwink a massive population into the unthinkable.

'The Following'

Anyone who knows me has heard my impassioned monologue about how Edgar Allan Poe isn’t all doom and gloom.…