Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "charismatic-leader"

1. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

PG-13 | 134 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Gellert Grindelwald plans to raise an army of wizards to rule over non-magical beings. In response, Newt Scamander's former professor, Albus Dumbledore, seeks his help to stop him.

Director: David Yates | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Johnny Depp

Votes: 309,354 | Gross: $159.56M

2. The Master (2012)

R | 138 min | Drama, History

A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the Cause and its charismatic leader.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons

Votes: 186,449 | Gross: $16.38M

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

PG | 76 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy

Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.

Director: Henry Selick | Stars: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey

Votes: 375,691 | Gross: $75.08M

4. Scrublands (2023–2025)

TV-14 | 200 min | Crime, Thriller

Follows investigative journalist Martin Scarsden as he has to uncover the truth of the case of killing of five parishioners by a charismatic and dedicated young priest.

Stars: Luke Arnold, Bella Heathcote, Jay Ryan, Zane Ciarma

Votes: 1,330

5. Safe (1995)

R | 119 min | Drama

An affluent and unexceptional homemaker in the suburbs develops multiple chemical sensitivity.

Director: Todd Haynes | Stars: Julianne Moore, Xander Berkeley, Dean Norris, Julie Burgess

Votes: 17,288 | Gross: $0.51M

6. Triumph of the Will (1935)

Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary, History

The infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.

Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Max Amann, Martin Bormann

Votes: 18,355

7. Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017 Video Game)

M | Action, Adventure, Drama

The Andromeda Initiative sets a course for a new galaxy, hoping to find a new home for the species of the Milky Way.

Directors: Mac Walters, Sam McGlynn | Stars: Fryda Wolff, Tom Taylorson, Jules de Jongh, Nyasha Hatendi

Votes: 5,948

8. The Way Down (2021–2022)

TV-MA | 44 min | Documentary, Crime

Follows the Remnant Fellowship Church, exploring the fame and power of its leader Gwen Shambling Lara as a diet guru and church leader, and the truth behind her carefully-curated image, detailing the church's controversial practices.

Stars: Natasha Pavlovich, Glen Wingerd, Carey Wingerd, Steph LeHane

Votes: 3,447

9. Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980 TV Movie)

TV-14 | 192 min | Biography, Drama

The real-life story of the Peoples Temple cult led by Reverend Jim Jones and the events involving its move to Guyana and its eventual mass suicide.

Director: William A. Graham | Stars: Powers Boothe, Ned Beatty, Irene Cara, Veronica Cartwright

Votes: 1,660

10. Deadly Force (1983)

R | 95 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A disgraced former police officer returns to Los Angeles as a private detective and vigilante to catch a mass murderer. When he crosses paths with his estranged wife, he tries to rekindle their relationship.

Director: Paul Aaron | Stars: Wings Hauser, Joyce Ingalls, Paul Shenar, Al Ruscio

Votes: 498 | Gross: $1.71M

11. Sound of My Voice (2011)

R | 85 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Two documentary filmmakers attempt to penetrate a cult who worships a woman who claims to be from the future.

Director: Zal Batmanglij | Stars: Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, Brit Marling, Davenia McFadden

Votes: 22,968 | Gross: $0.41M

12. Holy Hell (2016)

Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, Drama

An inside look at Buddhafield, a West Hollywood cult formed by a charismatic teacher in the 1980s that eventually imploded.

Director: Will Allen | Stars: Will Allen, Dimitrius Pulido, Phillipe Coquet, David Christopher

Votes: 6,075 | Gross: $0.02M

13. The Omega Code (1999)

PG-13 | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

SPOILER: A rabbi in Jerusalem develops software that can unlock prophecies in the Torah. He's murdered and the software stolen. A powerful man uses it to gain world domination.

Director: Robert Marcarelli | Stars: Casper Van Dien, Michael York, Catherine Oxenberg, Michael Ironside

Votes: 5,546 | Gross: $12.61M

14. Savage Messiah (2002)

R | 94 min | Drama, Thriller

As a small-town social worker investigates a commune headed by a spiritual leader calling himself Moses, she discovers a dead child, sadistic rituals, and ruthless mental and physical abuse.

Director: Mario Azzopardi | Stars: Polly Walker, Luc Picard, Isabelle Blais, Louis Ferreira

Votes: 1,229

15. The Jonestown Haunting (2020)

85 min | Crime, Drama, Horror

A survivor of the Jonestown massacre returns to the site 10 years later and discovers the cult's former home has become a breeding ground for the supernatural.

Director: Andrew Jones | Stars: Derek Nelson, William Meredith, Brendan Purcell, Andromeda Godfrey

Votes: 483

16. The Dazzled (2019)

99 min | Drama

Camille, is the eldest of a large family. One day, her parents enter a religious community which gradually, regimentation becomes sectarian and Camille will have to fight to assert her freedom and save her brothers and sisters.

Director: Sarah Suco | Stars: Camille Cottin, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Éric Caravaca, Céleste Brunnquell

Votes: 943

17. Zephyr Springs (2013)

TV-14 | 88 min | Thriller

When Dawn and Kayla reunite for a mother-daughter weekend at a popular spa resort, they find themselves fighting for their lives as they discover the visiting guru has turned the resort into a cult nightmare.

Director: Marita Grabiak | Stars: Amy Pietz, Johnny Whitworth, Tracey Fairaway, Kelly Curran

Votes: 482

18. Client 9 (2010)

R | 117 min | Documentary

An in-depth look at the rise and fall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, including interviews with the scandalized, former politician.

Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Eliot Spitzer, Alex Gibney, Hulbert Waldroup, Lloyd Constantine

Votes: 2,593 | Gross: $0.19M

19. The House of Paisley (2023)

Documentary

Biography exploring the life and political career of Reverand Ian Paisley.

Stars: Joanne Crawford, Gerry Adams, David McIlveen, Reg Empey

Votes: 11

20. Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (I) (2004 Video Game)

T | Action, Adventure, Thriller

Stealth-mission expert Sam Fisher is sent after a terrorist, who leads an operation involving setting up bombs with the smallpox virus on US territory.

Director: Jean-Michel Tari | Stars: Michael Ironside, Dennis Haysbert, William Dunn, Stephen Croce

Votes: 2,167

21. The Mark: Redemption (2013)

Not Rated | 94 min | Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Moments after parachuting from Flight 777, former Marine Chad Turner (Craig Scheffer) and flight attendant Dao (Sonia Couling) find themselves descending into a world of madness. The ... See full summary »

Director: James Chankin | Stars: Craig Sheffer, Sonia Couling, Eric Roberts, Gary Daniels

Votes: 416

22. Rumors of Wars (2014)

PG-13 | 89 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A student keeps a journal while a one-world government takes over the world. Years later, a soldier finds her journal and questions everything he believes.

Director: Paul Tomborello | Stars: Ben Davies, Jennifer Cooper, Eric Roberts, Michael Joiner

Votes: 568

23. Hitler's Coup 1923 (2023 TV Special)

Documentary, History

In 1923, Adolf Hitler led the infamous Beer Hall Putsch, an attempt to take power in Germany by force. It was a day that changed the world forever, birthing Hitler's regime.

Directors: Dominic Saville, Lyndy Saville | Stars: Giles Milton, Clare Mulley, Nicholas O'Shaughnessy, Richard John Evans

24. Il tempo dell'inizio (1974)

127 min | Drama, Sci-Fi

A "symbolic" character traces the path of man in search of salvation in this world within his own ghosts and deformations.

Director: Luigi Di Gianni | Stars: Sven Lasta, Rada Rassimov, Jean Martin, Claudio Camaso

Votes: 52

25. Cannon (1971–1976)
Episode: A Deadly Quiet Town (1972)

Not Rated | 51 min | Action, Crime, Drama

Cannon is hired by a man concerned that his daughter is involved with a cult of college-age kids.

Director: Seymour Robbie | Stars: William Conrad, John Larch, John Rubinstein, Louise Latham

Votes: 120

26. The Equalizer (1985–1989)
Episode: The Child Broker (1988)

TV-PG | 46 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A robbery gang of semi-homeless kids is run by a ruthless manipulator. One of the kids has a caring single mother who enlists the Equalizer to look into things. When the gang boss shows his... See full summary »

Director: Mark Sobel | Stars: Edward Woodward, Keith Szarabajka, Richard Jordan, Christopher Collet

Votes: 67

27. Tales of the South Seas (1998–2000)
Episode: The Fiery Messiah (2000)

Adventure

A religious cult based on another island gains a foothold in Matavai. Clair Devon becomes the obsession of the man claiming to be a messiah.

Director: Scott Hartford-Davis | Stars: William Snow, Rene Naufahu, Rachel Blakely, Rowena King

Votes: 6

28. The Family (2019)
Episode: Wolf King (2019)

TV-14 | 48 min | Documentary, Mystery

Rooted in local men's groups, the Family's commingling of theology, ideology and worldly power extends its reach all the way to the U.S. presidency.

Director: Jesse Moss | Stars: Jeff Sharlet, Bob Destro, Jesse Moss, Larry Anderson

Votes: 160

29. Battlefield (1995–2004)
Episode: The Battles for Tunisia (2001)

Documentary, History, War

The campaign in Tunisia in World War Two saw the battles that finally ended the brutal war in the desert. We look at the weapons used and tactics and tell the story of the battle itself.

Stars: Jonathan Booth, Harold Alexander, Kenneth Anderson, Claude Auchinleck

Votes: 7

30. Criminal Minds (2005– )
Episode: Minimal Loss (2008)

TV-14 | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Reid and Prentiss, having gone undercover into an underground cult to investigate child abuse, get trapped inside the compound when a federal raid on it goes bad.

Director: Félix Enríquez Alcalá | Stars: Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler

Votes: 2,936

31. First Ladies (2020)
Episode: Nancy Reagan (2020)

Not Rated | 40 min | Documentary, Biography

Nancy Reagan is popularly known as the doting wife of President Ronald Reagan, but in reality, she had much more than a supporting role in the first 'Hollywood' presidency. From Ronald ... See full summary »

Director: Liz Mermin | Stars: Robin Wright, Ken Duberstein, Karen Tumulty, Bob Colacello

Votes: 58

32. Cogito (2016– )
Episode: What is a Cult? (2020)

17 min | Documentary, History

Here is everything you wanted to know about cults without actually joining one including: How to recognize a cult by the behavior of its leader. How normal, ordinary people become part of a... See full summary »

Stars: Domhnall Cogito, Marian Keymas

33. Wild Crime (2021– )
Episode: Answers (2022)

Not Rated | 51 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery

We meet Jane Doe's friends, learn about her family, life in a cult and other suspects who may have killed her. Investigators name their likely perpetrator.

Director: Lisa Quijano Wolfinger | Stars: Diane Benscoter, Thomas Ian Campbell, John Carlisle, Veronica Carlisle

Votes: 27

34. The 100 Days: That Defined Modern History (2022–2023)
Episode: The Assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy - 1968 (2023)

Documentary, History

In 1968, both Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated.

Directors: Edmund Duff, Mike Kenneally | Stars: Peter B. Levy, Clay Risen, Clayborne Carson, Meena Bose

Votes: 5

35. Ukraine on Fire 2 (2022– )
Episode: Heroes of Ukraine: Valerii Zaluzhnyi (2024)

Documentary, Drama, War

Born into a military family, Valerii Zaluzhnyi became world famous as a charismatic military leader of the Ukrainian people who managed to defend Independence and dispel the myth of the invincibility of the Russian army.

Stars: Moshe Reuven Azman, Olena Ivanenko, Olha Kharlan, Vitali Klitschko

36. The Seventies (2015)
Episode: Crimes & Cults (2015)

Documentary, History

Cult killings like the Manson Family murders and serial killers such as The Zodiac, The Hillside Strangler, John Wayne Gacy and the Son of Sam have the nation gripped in fear as crime and murder dramatically rise throughout the decade.

Stars: Douglas Brinkley, Vincent Bugliosi, Jeff Guinn, James Alan Fox

Votes: 142

37. The Presidents (2005)
Episode: Truman to Ford (1945-1977) (2005)

Documentary, Biography, History

About US Presidents 33) Harry S. Truman (1945-1953), 34) Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961), 35) John F. Kennedy (1961-1963), 36) Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969), 37) Richard Nixon (1969-1974) and 38) Gerald Ford (1974-1977).

Stars: Edward Herrmann, Larry Berman, H.W. Brands, Leonid Brezhnev

38. The Presidents (2005)
Episode: Carter to Bush (1977-2005) (2005)

Documentary, Biography, History

About US Presidents 39) Jimmy Carter (1977-1981), 40) Ronald Reagan (1981-1989), 41) George H. W. Bush (1989-1993), 42) Bill Clinton (1993-2001) and 43) George W. Bush (2001-2009), whose second term is covered on the show's DVD version.

Stars: Edward Herrmann, Yasser Arafat, James A. Baker, Ehud Barak

39. Rick Steves' Europe (2000–2023)
Episode: The Story of Fascism in Europe (2018)

TV-G | 56 min | Documentary, Reality-TV

Rick visits historical sites with local tour guides to explore the rise and fall of fascism in 20th-century Europe. He traces history after World War I to the rise of leaders who manipulated angry people to build totalitarian societies.

Stars: Rick Steves, Andreas Clemens, Alfio Di Mauro, Francesca Caruso

Votes: 95