Our name uses cult in the “cult classic” sense, but it’s about damn time we combine it with the strict definition as per the Oxford dictionary: “a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.” These films about communities of weirdos who live their lives according to the whims of one strange guy are sure to scare you off the idea of joining up.

Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) – Considered to be one of the worst movies of all time (and for good reason), this masterpiece of awful follows a road-tripping family who take a wrong turn. When they stop at a random house to ask for directions from the twitchiest man to ever live, they ask to stay the night, putting them right in the clutches of a polygynous cult who want to make the wife & daughter into its next round of wives to appease its deity: Manos.

Messiah of Evil (1973) – When Arletty goes looking for her missing father in a remote seaside town called Point Dume (yes, pronounced like that), she finds herself in some unsettling encounters with strange Californians who believe that the upcoming blood moon will bring the return of their cannibal messiah. This bizarre nightmare will make all of your future trips to the grocery store seem a lot less terrifying… trust us.