Top Five Screenplays About Cults
Everyone can list their favorite cult films—but how about a list of films about cults? Here are our top five.
"The Master" by Paul Thomas Anderson tops our list. It’s an ambitious script that pulls the veil off Hollywood’s favorite religion (cult): Scientology. Anderson's scripts can be a challenge to get into at first blush, but once you find your way into his characters, there's nothing better. Kind of like joining a cult, you might say...
Honorable mention for this list goes to "Sound of My Voice" written by Zal Batmangliji and Brit Marling.
The Master
Screenplay by Paul Thomas Anderson
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Screenplay by Sean Durkin
Directed by Sean Durkin
Starring: Elizabeth Olson, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, and Hugh Dancy
Rosemary's Baby
Screenplay by Roman Polanski
Directed by Roman Polanski
Starring: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy, and Angela Dorian
Eyes Wide Shut
Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick and Frederic Raphael
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, and Marie Richardson
The Wicker Man
Screenplay by Anthony Shaffer
Directed by Robin Hardy
Starring: Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, and Ingrid Pitt