'Heaven's Gate: The Cult Of Cults' Trailer: HBO Max Docuseries Examines The Infamous UFO Cult

People love cults. There are numerous reasons why, but it can't be denied that it's very easy for some individuals to get swept up in that cult mentality – be it Jim Jones, Scientology, the Rajneeshpuram community, the Branch Davidians, or Trumpism. And sadly, more often than not, cults can end in disaster and death. Such was the case with Heaven's Gate, a group founded in the 1970s by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles. The members of Heaven's Gate believed they were destined to leave Earth and ascend on a spaceship to another world, and in 1997, things came to a horrific end when 39 members of the group died in a mass suicide. The Heaven's Gate story is chronicled in the new HBO Max docuseries Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults. Watch the trailer below.

We'd all like to believe that we're too smart and sophisticated to get swept up in a cult, but the sad fact is that so many people end up going down that road. Such was the case with Heaven's Gate, a UFO cult that started in 1975 and ended with mass suicide in 1997. The new HBO Max docuseries Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cult tells the story across four episodes. Here's the synopsis:

The docuseries is a thorough examination of the infamous UFO cult through the eyes of its former members and loved ones. What started in 1975 with the disappearance of 20 people from a small town in Oregon, ended in 1997 with the largest suicide on US soil and changed the face of modern New Age religion forever. This four-part docuseries uses never-before-seen footage and first-person accounts to explore the infamous UFO cult that shocked the nation with their out-of-this-world beliefs.

The docuseries was directed and executive produced by Clay Tweel, and comes from CNN Original Studios and Campfire. Docuseries like this are becoming more and more prominent these days, and that's both good and bad. It's good because they're often quite addictive and watchable, but it's bad because sometimes, these stories don't need multiple parts – they can be summed up in one tight documentary. HBO has been particularly egregious with this with recent docuseries McMillions and The Vow, both of which stretched on way too long (The Vow even got a second season). That said, four episodes seem doable, and best of all, all four are dropping on HBO Max at once on December 3. On top of that, you'll be able to stream the first episode for free on December 4.