User Reviews

In 1985, a film student graduate joins a Southern California cult of spiritually enlightened and very good looking young men and women. The group is called "Buddhafield" and is run by a muscular, charismatic ex-actor. This leader has several names; mostly, he is identified as Michel. The cinematographer is the narrator and director of this very documentary, Will Allen. As you might guess, hypnotic Michel provides group members with an otherwise unattainable link to God. After 22 years with Michel and the group, Mr. Allen leaves the group to obtain even greater enlightenment by producing this film. It is a fascinating look at this cult, its leader and their activities. We are fortunate Allen was allowed to capture so much and finally break free from the group. It ends with a look at Michel today and (if you see CNN's airing) even includes a final statement from the Godly leader...

"Holy Hell" is most valuable due to Allen's surviving film and video footage. While it provides insight and is engaging throughout, the story is not satisfying in one important respect. We are told, but do not see the appeal of Michel. This man, slightly older than the average group member, is not as mysterious as he is obvious. "The Master" saunters around in a protruding, jock strapped-up Speedo. Michel works out, dances and sports carefully applied make-up. He's tanned, tightened and glistens. Michel positively screams warning signs. Very loudly. His connection to "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) startles, but his eventually exposed shocking secret comes as no big surprise. We assume Allen and his peers were susceptible people with severe emotional problems because Michel would send almost anyone else running for the hills. It's great they are free and good luck to them.

******* Holy Hell (1/25/2016) Will Allen ~ Michel Gomez, Will Allen, Dimitrius Pulido, David Christopher

Holy Hell is a documentary made and produced by Will Allen, focusing on the "Buddhafield" cult in Hollywood, and his experiences of being a member of the Buddhafield for 22 years. The film school graduate compiles a plethora of funny, serious, and chilling shots from his time in the cult. It follows the members of the cult, and their leader, who was called "Michel" for most of the film. The film uncovers the secrets and stories of the members, horrified from their past in the cult and its leader.

The film opens up with Mr. Allen speaking about his childhood, and his mother not accepting his homosexuality. It then jumps to footage he took from the beginning of the cult, with members dancing and floating in a river. I was confused on this quick transition, because it clashed with the topic of his homosexuality or his mother. The clips of the dancing post-hippies in the beginning of the film was very intriguing, and was the reason I continued with this documentary. He shows more images and videos of Michel, the leader of this group, and the clips immediately grab my attention. The narration and images of the exotic and eclectic leader in the beginning of the film quickly foreshadowed the secrets uncovered later in the film. His persona was god-like, prancing in his speedo and polarized sunglasses, with his followers kissing his ankles, literally.

The personal shots given by Allen, from his small 80's camera, are invigorating and interesting. The footage invites viewers to picture themselves inside the cult, and what it was like through their daily routines. The film cultivates a hippy-ish vibe and creates a feeling of freedom

As Will shows past members, and their recorded interviews, the pain in their eyes stands out. They become scared and upset when they begin to reminisce and talk about their past in the Buddhafield. The members share similar stories throughout the documentary, insuring the validity of the information given by the members. Topics such as sex, abortion, drugs, and abuse begin to stir, and we see the true colors of Michel. Other 'serene groups' begin to be shut down around California, so Michel decides it's time to pack up and move to Texas. His devoted followers, of course, follow him. We see how the group gets accustomed to their new house and environment. We also see how Michel, who is now Andreas, moves from a spiritual leader to a controlling narcissist.

This film jerks emotions, and could dig deeply into viewers' similar past experiences. We can feel Allen's pain listening and watching the footage from the last few years of the Buddhafield. This film was enjoyable and informative. It showed emotions and memories that are rarely touched, and made me, as a viewer, feel emotional along with the interviewees. I recommend this film for an audience who enjoys learning about cults and their practices, or just simply because it's an aesthetically pleasing, emotional film.

Intriguing documentary about a homosexual predator/cult leader who used his experience in hypnosis and acting to prey upon adult cult members in Los Angeles who to this day fail to accept responsibility for going along with it. There is no doubt that cult leader Michel was/is a terrible person and sexual predator, but this doc does an even better job of exposing the foolishness and desperation of his New Age followers.

A wild cult story with relevant interviews that provide and in depth look at 'the master' and his descent into madness. Great documentary style that abounded in first person accounts and videos.

I don't review movies here BUT I read the extremely negative reviews and was curious. All were by new members with this being either their only review or maybe one or two additional ones done soon after to legitimize their reviewing credentials. Obvious plants by the still faithful. Sadly they are still out there.

Their reviews did not have the result intended. They piqued my curiosity and I sought out this film. If you are fascinated by cults or a fan of documentaries seek this film out. It's a rare thing to have this much inside footage of a cult leader and his followers in action. To outsiders the machinations of this vain Svengali seem transparent and obvious. So vain that he was the one who had all of this footage shot. Meeting the members you gain insight, sympathy and understanding as to how and why seemingly intelligent, aware individuals can be swept up by someone and something like this.

The film is well constructed, clear, emotional and does have a point of view. That point of view is what gives this film it's fire and passion. It's made by ex cult members and boy are they angry. It doesn't pretend to be a cold, objective view on what went on there and I think it is better for it. Imagine a film about Scientology made by angry ex-members or a film about the Manson family made by a disillusioned, embarrassed, remorseful ex-member. Oh the truths we'd learn!

My only complaint is that I wanted a cathartic confrontation with the cult leader at the end. There is a confrontation but it seems muted and sad rather than explosive and angry.

See this well made documentary if you can. It's an eight but I'm giving it a ten to counterbalance those idiotic one star reviews.

"Holy Hell" is a documentary about a very small cult led by a man named Michel. The man who made the film happened to be the videographer for the group...and so he had a huge cache of footage that he could use to make this film. It's his personal journey as well as a history of the group during the years when he was a member.

Using hypnotic techniques and a charming personality, Michel amassed a group of about 200 followers. However, over time, it became obvious that Michel was not quite the man he said he was and ultimately many within the group left...disillusioned and angry. I could say more but don't want to spoil the film.

While this is a small cult, it is unusual because of all the video footage and that makes for a very compelling and interesting film. It's currently available streaming from Netflix and is well made and worth your time.

UPDATE: I watched the film again. This time I found I got a bit more out of it and am updating my score to 9, as it's a GREAT general film about cults and would be great for families or friends struggling with losing people to these groups.

Frankly, I'm a bit baffled at a lot of these reviews.

I have seen numerous reviews implying that these people are stupid, that this wasn't actually a cult, that men in their 20's can't be sexually abused and why didn't they "just leave" and a whole myriad of other things. I think that's a pretty ignorant perspective.

Personally, I can empathize with these people on a small scale. I did not undergo the intensity that they experienced, but I was in a similar situation for about 18 years. I can tell you that anyone can get drawn in to that kind of codependent abusive cycle, given the right circumstances. It's psychological. It's not crazy. They're not stupid. It's just human behavior, when presented with the right stimulus.

This documentary touched me, and shed light on so many topics surrounding abuse, trauma, codependency, cult psyche, manipulation tactics, I could go on and on. It reveals a common truth about most people, that we want to be loved, accepted and apart of something, and sometimes you get trapped in those ideals. My heart breaks for these people, and I feel angry at the comments and reviews calling them stupid and gullible. I feel like that defies the entire premise of the documentary, because I think that it broke down the exact fundamentals of how a cult works. Cults don't always start out like cults. But somewhere along the way, everything turns inside out and people are usually in too deep to see it from a rational perspective.

This was a fascinating and revealing tale, and I highly recommend watching if you have any interest in psychology, sociology, religion, cults... just watch it people. And try to see through their perspective and experiences rather that judging from your own.

A fascinating yet morbid documentary type movie showing how a cult leader is able to manipulate a group of gullible young people to be his slaves and do whatever he wishes.

The cult leader is a ludicrous drama queen like figure who is probably insane. He is totally repulsive and devotedly self-centered; he has found a way to spent his life doing whatever pleasures suit himself to the detriment of those stupid enough to view him seriously. The followers-so called- are on the whole a bunch of ever so weak individuals needing to find meaning in their lives so that plays into the hands of the lunatic leading them.

I do not wish to be unsympathetic to the victims but I ask rhetorically who in their right mind would fall for such nonsense?

The maker of the film is also one of the followers and even if there may be some lack of independent reporting there is no doubt the "master" is a criminal and ought to be in prison....

7/10

Greetings again from the darkness. David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. Marshall Applewhite and Heaven's Gate. Jim Jones and People's Temple. Charles Manson and The Manson Family. For most of us, this list just about sums up our insight into the world of cults … and the horrific and violent endings of each are probably the only reason we know as much as we do. Filmmaker Will Allen, and his library of archival footage spanning more than 25 years, takes us behind the scenes of The Buddahfield, a cult run by an exceedingly odd man named Michel Rostand … or Jaime Gomez … or Andreas … or Reyji … depending on what time period and location we are discussing.

The film begins in 1985 West Hollywood as Mr. Allen joins his sister in her search for enlightenment and spiritual awakening. "Why am I here?" he asks ... not referring to the commune of young men and women, but rather why is he on earth – what is the meaning of life? We have all wondered if it's simply life and death, or if there is a greater purpose. These unanswered questions are how massive churches are built … and how cults are formed. The early film footage reveals exactly what one would expect: young people frolicking in the type of freedom that comes from dropping out of society. It's an innocence that is ripe for plucking, and that's exactly what "The Teacher" Michel does.

Trained as a hypnotherapist, Michel is the guru who claims to possess "the Knowing" – true enlightenment and the path to God in the purest form. At this point, I should mention that Michel is seemingly always strutting around in a Speedo and Ray-Bans. If he is a man of the cloth, it's an awfully small swatch. He also wears heavy eye-liner and strikes many pensive poses for the camera and his followers.

The last thing that I want to do is judge these followers on decisions they made early in life. Feeling lost or emotionally empty and aimless can lead to desperation. In filmmaker Will Allen's defense, this documentary acts as personal therapy or even catharsis for his fellow cult members who judge themselves harshly for the two decades of belief in a cause and a man that ultimately proved to be something much less than spiritual. Many of these followers are interviewed on camera and are clearly struggling even years after leaving the cult. It's not just the awareness of so many wasted years, but also the guilt in following a man who was not merely odd, but who also victimized so many.

Creepiness plays a big part here. It's creepy how one guy can so influence the lives of so many others. It's creepy how no one was able to expose this fraud before so many were hurt. It's creepy to hear these folks talk about their mindset during that time. And mostly it's creepy to view the incredible footage shot by Mr. Allen during his two decades on the inside. Lastly, the stalking (with camera) in 2012 which allows Mr. Allen to get the ending for his movie is in itself a special form of creepy … one that had me thinking that ALL of these people need psychological help.

If you want to see the internal workings of a cult (from California to Texas to Hawaii) – one with Speedos, plastic surgery, ballet, brainwashing, two kinds of peacocks – and the subsequent fallout, then you'll agree the film delivers a type of eavesdropping and peeking that is both rare and fascinating … in a creepy kind of way.

The filmmaker of this documentary (Will Allen) used to be the official filmmaker of the cult for more than twenty years, so he had a lot of video material to work with, which provided a uniquely in-depth and colourful insight into the strange workings and trappings of this group. This movie can serve up a lot more than just the usual newspaper clippings and filmed retrospective interviews.

The guru of this cult is an incredibly odd and camp former / failed bit part actor and dancer (nothing wrong with that, by the way, there's a lot of those around) who apparently had a unique talent for conducting meditation session. And for recruiting some of the best looking acolytes ever. Even his disgruntled former members looked back upon those initial "shaktis" fondly, and the way they described those sessions made me wonder whether those sessions had not been spiked with psychedelic drugs.

Some members then became totally devoted to Michel, one member describes how his life centered around creating incredibly elaborate fruit salads for his master. To me, that was already the point when the sexual abuse that followed became almost inevitable. Those people have to face up to the fact that they pulled out the stops themselves.

Michel must have been very patient and sly to wait until his followers had severed all ties with the real world before he started to profit from them sexually. Unsurprisingly, and despite his public denigrations of sexuality which he used to isolate his followers from each other, he eventually started to sexually abuse his attractive male disciples.

I watched Holy Hell at Hot Docs in Toronto last night...bizarre and surreal for sure. In reading the other negative reviews just now, I'm not surprised by the lack of empathy for the filmmaker (Will Allen) - he tackled a very thorny subject. In a perfect world he could have shown both sides of the story including interviews with current members and well as the 'guru' himself.

Let's be clear, this is a personal journey documentary, one that encompasses over two decades of Wills' life. Cut him some slack. The archival video footage alone gives such a strong glimpse into the world he inhabited for not just for a weekend retreat, but for many years of his life. While it seemed that everyone involved was there on their own free will, the larger issue remains equally clear - they were under the influence of a very charismatic spiritual predator. It is a cautionary tale for anyone seeking guidance through the sticky realm of enlightenment.

Kudos to Will for the strength it took to revisit his past (both pleasant and painful) and his attempt to expose a fraud (somewhat unsuccessfully) who was such a powerful force from his young adult years to the very recent past.

A question I regret not asking Will during the Q&A is how it's never addressed if any ex-member is pursuing legal action against the leader? My guess is the 'free will' aspect puts their complaint under too much scrutiny.

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.

This is an absorbing document about a cult of body beautiful in West Hollywood led by a gay guru who secretly slept with the males in his cult all the while preaching celibacy. The group was supposed to be about finding god but it was about the leader. He never dressed, preferring to run around in a Speedo and the rest of his young cult rarely dressed in more than bikinis. How can sensible adults deny that sex is fundamental to planet earth? I always think when pondering sex-"hating" cults. One of the most engrossing things about watching this group of delusionals is the slow arc presented. It's well paced, so that the movement to, in, through and back out of the cult is fluid. Unlike most cult exposés this doesn't end with death or prison; this ends with an exodus to Hawaii. We should all end so ignominiously.

A unique view inside the makings of a cult. It's incredible that the director was able 25 years of brainwashing. Must watch for anyone even remotely interested in spirituality. There are a lot of con-artists and manipulators out there, so it's always good to be aware of red flags and listen to your intuition.

Moral of the story: At the end of the day all the answers are within. You are your own guru. Never idolize or worship another human being, especially if he calls himself your "master".

Nut job at its finest! I think the wisest thing said in the film was, "there's an unhealthy relationship between highly codependent people and wild narcissists". Sad story of manipulation.

Excellent documentary that gives a first hand look into the power of social influence in a group dynamic. This film is a study of a teacher who has abused his power and uses his social influence to manipulate and control the members of the cult. It's equally parts disturbing and inspiring as the cult members seek the truth and expose the teacher to gain their back their own freedom of mind.

If you are interested in how cults operate from an insider's perspective, this film is invaluable. A must see for all everyone as the lessons here run deep and the journey of the members is both moving and profound.

I have never been near anything remote such as this so this documentary is totally baffling to me. Like the guy who was paying $50 to get raped by Michel doesn't make any sense to me.. but maybe that's what brainwashing and being in a cult does to you.

I once too decided to join the Osho ashram (even paid membership and got invited) but changed my mind at last second and documentaries like this help me realize how I may have dodged a bullet .

Anyway, even though the case is compelling I just want viewers to remember that there are always two sides to a story and we're only seeing one here. A lot of questions are also unanswered.

1. Why did the author go to Hawaii to help him settle?

2. Why hasn't anyone pressed charges yet?

3. Why do so many members stay with him still?

4. Why didn't the undercover person confront him and get him to admit something meaningful on camera?

5. Lastly I assume this is just brainwashing doing it to them, but did they really feel those things when the joined (the lights, etc)? That's some powerful trance state to go into without drugs.

6.and may more things..

Anyway I'm sure there are some very reasonable answers to all these questions but this would have been much more impactful film had Michel been indicted and behind bars.

This movie of the beginning of something beautiful that turns in to something ugly, personifies so many cults, how they come to be, and how hard it is to try to free yourself from all that you've been taught.

I want to say thank you, so much thank you, to Will Allen, and all the wonderful people who are in this film, for showing your hearts and souls and what you've been through.

I cried throughout the film, and in the end I was bawling my heart out.

Having been interested in cults and also having a short (a year only) stint in one myself, I've read so many books, and watched so many documentaries and movies and clips of ex-cult-members, this one was truly the best.

To all of you, thank you from the depths of my heart.

Marianne

The first thing I notice is that there are no minorities, zero.

Cults almost always attract a diverse set of people.

I find it very hard to feel sorry for these people especially the ones that were there for many years. There were signs things werent right.

And for the followers that went with him to Hawaii after it was finally discovered to be a sham, what were they missing in their lives?

At least there was no Kool Aid for them to drink because alot of them would have.

Incredible.