Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults

Last updated
Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults
Genre Documentary
Directed byClay Tweel
Music byDavid Wingo
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • Clay Tweel
  • Ross Dinerstein
  • Shannon Riggs
  • Amy Entelis
  • Lyle Gamm
  • Chris Bannon
  • Eric Spiegelman
  • Peter Clowney
  • Erik Diehn
ProducerMark McCune
Cinematography
  • Jeff Powers
  • Hilary Spera
Editors
  • Michelle M. Witten
  • James Leche
  • Giacomo Ambrosini
Running time49-52 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network HBO Max
ReleaseDecember 3, 2020 (2020-12-03)

Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults is an American documentary miniseries revolving around the religious group Heaven's Gate and its leader Marshall Applewhite. It consists of four episodes and premiered on December 3, 2020, on HBO Max. [1]

Contents

Synopsis

Told through the eyes of former members and loved ones of former members, the series follows Heaven's Gate and its leader Marshall Applewhite. [2] The series included never before seen footage of the cult. [3]

Episodes

No.Title [4] Directed byOriginal air date [4]
1"The Awakening"Clay TweelDecember 3, 2020 (2020-12-03)

Marshall Applewhite teaches his followers in Waldport, Oregon that the bodies of his followers can be transformed into perfected space aliens. This was called the "Next Level."

Reza Aslan characterizes Heaven's Gate as a millenarian group. Chariots of the Gods? had gained much publicity in the 1960s.
2"The Chrysalis"Clay TweelDecember 3, 2020 (2020-12-03)
3"The Second Harvest"Clay TweelDecember 3, 2020 (2020-12-03)
4"The Exit"Clay TweelDecember 3, 2020 (2020-12-03)

Production

In October 2019, it was announced HBO Max had greenlit a 4-part documentary series following the Heaven's Gate with Clay Tweel set to direct and executive produce with CNN Original Studios and Stitcher set to produce the series. [5]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 86%. [6] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [7]

See also

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References

  1. Hersko, Tyler (November 24, 2020). "'Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults' Trailer: HBO Max Documentary Examines Infamous UFO Cult". IndieWire . Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  2. "HBO Max Debuts Official Trailer for Max Original "Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults," Premiering Dec. 3". WarnerMedia . November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  3. Cobb, Kayla (November 24, 2020). "HBO Max's 'Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults' Gets a Trailer and Release Date". Decider . Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults". The Futon Critic . Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  5. White, Peter (October 24, 2019). "HBO Max Orders Heaven's Gate Suicide Doc & Alex Gibney-Produced Series On Fame As Part Of Debut CNN Slate". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  6. "Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  7. "Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults". Metacritic . Retrieved December 6, 2020.