TV show producers unveil insidious reality of how people get lured into cults

If you think cults are fringe groups revealed once in a Blue Moon, think again. The producers behind Hulu and Freeform’s chilling docuseries How I Escaped My Cult, executive producers David Karabinas and Brad Bernstein, just pulled back the curtain in an interview, exposing the eerie “slow‑burn” of psychological manipulation that draws ordinary people into destructive organisations… sometimes without them even realising it.

‘Recruitment rarely starts with force’

How I Escaped My Cult producers David and Brad dished their thoughts on why people get involved with cults, speaking to In Touch. Over the course of the series, the spotlight is on 10 cult survivors and their stories. The producers lay it out plainly: cult recruitment rarely starts with force.

Instead, the process is slick, subtle and devastatingly effective. First comes gentle acceptance. Soon enough, emotional bonds are forged. Before the recruit knows it, they’re isolated from friends and family, financially dependent, and subject to coercive control tactics. It’s a textbook example of manipulation cloaked in benevolence.

David said: “This is what’s really interesting about a lot of the cults in general, right? You know, in the beginning, it seems like it’s always a slow burn…”

Eventually, the person in charge of the cult becomes “corrupt,” he adds.

Imprisoned cult leader still ‘in touch’

The people featured on the Hulu show “endured unspeakable trauma,” and the series explores how they made their escape. Each episode is a different person’s journey.

A now-incarcerated cult leader, Warren Jeffs, is the focus of one episode. One of his former wives, Vicky Thompson, and their son, Wendell, tell the story of their escape from the cult.

David observed: “First off, the difference in age between Wendell and Vicky is, you know, whatever it is, it’s not very much because she was a child bride… So, it’s like they almost look like they’re brother and sister. And it’s pretty interesting when you’re watching that. It took a long time for them to come to grips with the fact that he wasn’t who they thought he was, that he… when he was arrested, when he was on the run, all these things, like, they were still behind him.”

He added how Warren Jeffs is still “in regular contact” with many of his followers while behind bars. For David, producing the show led to him having more “empathy” for victims. He said of Jeffs: “He writes to them. They write to him… He still has followers. You know, it’s sort of the same way you see things with, like, serial killers who have these followings once they’re in prison. And again, like in the case of Warren Jeffs, he had a lot of brides. That family was really large, and not all of them turned against him.”

Brad added how “people hold on to their long-held beliefs. It’s hard to break that bond again, which makes the series so extraordinary. The notion that you can escape from that is really challenging.” Ultimately, the people seen on the show are victims of expertly crafted control systems that prey on vulnerability.

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