This chilling guide, illustrated throughout with photographs, examines some of the world's most notorious cults and the evil deeds of their leaders.
Some individuals have such a magnetic personality that they can attract a hugely devoted following. Their faithful disciples happily ignore the misdeeds of their leader and even commit evil on their behalf. With religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs to guide them, cults can lead to some of the most disturbing events of the modern era. Filled with shadowy rituals and sinister hierarchies and led by masterful manipulators, they can easily become the centre of unthinkable horror - and it is only after the leader is brought down that those caught deep in their clutches truly understand what was going on.
This book explores the cases of some of the most horrifying cults ever to have existed, including:
• The Family, led by Charles Manson, a cult of death and destruction which terrorized Los Angeles in the 1960s.
• The Branch Davidians, led by David Koresh, a doomsday cult that ended in a tragic shootout with the authorities.
• The Peoples Temple, led by the Reverend Jim Jones, who orchestrated a mass murder-suicide after convincing his followers to relocate to a remote commune in the Guyana jungle.
• Aum Shinrikyo, founded by Shoko Asahara, which carried out a number of terrorist attacks in Japan in the late 20th century.
Fully illustrated with maps, photographs, illustrations, and information boxes with key facts on the cult leaders and their crimes, this chilling book is the essential guide to those who manipulate and murder their way to infamy.
ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Illustrated Case Files are striking, photo-filled books, delving into sinister cases of true crime, conspiracies and the paranormal, offering a powerful glimpse into darker side of life.