Cults

Roman crocodile armor is the closest thing reality has to Dungeons & Dragons gear

In the past, we’ve examined some hilarious forms of body armor for both human and hound.But in terms of sheer flamboyance, it’s hard to beat this suit of Roman crocodile armor from the third century, AD. https://gizmodo.com/this-1880s-anti-masturbation-armor-the-ultimate-codpi-5933371 https://gizmodo.com/10-retro-body-armors-that-will-transform-you-into-an-ol-5917559 https://gizmodo.com/this-siberian-bear-hunting-suit-from-the-1800s-turns-yo-5927038 https://gizmodo.com/and-now-historical-samurai-armor-built-for-a-dog-5940286 It’s unclear if this suit bestows any sort of defense bonus against ochre jelly, so…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

The Real-Life Cult Experience Behind Sound of My Voice

This week sees the big-screen debut of Sound of My Voice, the indie sensation centered around a mysterious cult leader (Brit Marling) who claims to be from the future. We spoke with director and co-writer Zal Batmanglij, and found out secrets about mystical time travelers. Plus we learned about the real-life fringe group this story…

Movies Meredith Woerner

The Amazing Seductiveness of a Cult Leader Who Knows the Future… Because She’s Been There

What if you were introduced to a spiritual guru who claimed to have traveled back in time from the year 2054? What would it take to make you believe her? Those are some of the questions raised by The Sound of My Voice, the Sundance sensation that’s coming to select theaters on April 27. You’ve…

Trailers Charlie Jane Anders

The catchiest New Wave song (written by a doomsday cult) of all time

This is the 1980s toe-tapper “Cathy Don’t Go” (lyrics and en Español), an earworm New Wave number that almost certainly ripped off Survivor’s “Jackie Don’t Go.” Unlike Survivor’s ditty, “Cathy Don’t Go” was written by the evangelical doomsday cult The Family International about how the Antichrist is controlling us through barcodes. The music video will…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

Simultaneously the stupidest/most disturbing ending in horror movie history? [NSFW]

Chances are you’re familiar with such Troma Entertainment flicks as The Toxic Avenger and Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD. Kitschy fun, right? Well, let’s watch the infamous ending of the 1989 child cannibal flick Beware! Children At Play. In this mostly unwatchable no-budget movie (trailer), a cult leader/feral boy named Grendel slowly but surely kidnaps a rural…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

Que Malo, Narcos! Mexico attacks cartels with comics

The besieged Mexican government has a new tool in the info war against drug cartels: animated, online propaganda comics set to electronic beats. The 10-episode comic series, posted over the summer in two- to three-minute episodes to the blog of President Felipe Calderon, is the latest weapon in a “cultural struggle” against drug cartels. The…

io9 Robert Beckhusen - Wired

The anime propaganda films of a Japanese death cult

Before their sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995, the Aum Shinrikyo cult released a series of bizarre anime recruitment videos starring their bearded leader Shoko Asahara levitating, phasing, and using other ridiculous supernatural powers. It’s pretty jarring to see a fringe group that would eventually commit senseless mass murder depicting itself as…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

Incredibly awkward police training video teaches you about Satanic cults

One doesn’t become Scully or Mulder overnight. No, to become a crackerjack paranormal investigator, you need knowledge provided by weird training VHS tapes like this one, A Law Enforcement Guide to Satanic Cults. Who knew Satanic sacrifice looked like QVC? [Via Worldcat and Laughing Squid]

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

The Shrine shoves medieval weaponry into your eyes, turns you evil

This new horror film, The Shrine, looks creepily intriguing. Mostly because it doesn’t give away the entire premise in the first trailer. And the boil faced, glassy-eyed evil being you can just glimpse has us pretty scared. Check it out. Shock Till You Drop has the first trailer for Jon Knautz’s horror film, starring Ice…

Movies Meredith Woerner

The ancient meteorite cult of Estonia

Somewhere between 7,500-4,000 years ago, a meteorite fragmented over Estonia’s Saaremaa island. The meteorite hit with a force comparable to Hiroshima and left nine impact craters, including the 110-meter Kaali crater. Locals worshiped this hole as holy. Says Atlas Obscura: Several kilometers above the earth’s surface, the meteorite broke into pieces from the pressure and…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

Creepiest Cult Indoctrination Scene Of All Time

Sure, your cult has a charismatic leader, a crackpot ideology and a 401k for long-term members. But can you match the psychotic Lunar orbiter mania of this apocalyptic cult’s meeting, from Japan’s 20th Century Boys? We doubt it. [IMDB]

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Heaven’s Gate UFO Cult Sneakers – Creepy, Wrong, or Fake?

Click to view Rumors are swirling that Nike discontinued work on this sweet black-and-purple prototype Dunk shoe because it reminded consumers too much of the Heaven’s Gate cult mass suicide. Really? On the Nike Skateboarding blog, they offer up this image of the shoe side-by-side with one of the victims of the Heaven’s Gate suicide…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid of These Science Fictional Cults

Much like the present, the future has its share of cults and fringe religions. Some are scams, some are a genuine search for enlightenment, and some are simply a fanatical devotion to a single person or task. Want to stay clear of cultish influence? We give you a who’s who of cults from science fiction,…

io9 Lauren Davis

Scars Of Youth Trailer Opens Doors To Zombie Youth Cult

We already showed you the crazy stills from John R. Hand’s latest indie film featuring creepy burn scar zombies that will supposedly live forever, thanks to their secret zombie juice. Now take a look at the equally confusing trailer for Scars Of Youth. Hand’s dark and arty look into a post-apocalyptic world 200 years from…

io9 Meredith Woerner

CD Fanboys Are Ready to Kick Ass, Slice Sausage

When most of us look at this Russian group CD-ROM cult, we’re silently relieved that the Cold War is over. I mean, how does one defend against assailants armored with the best hits of the 80s, 90s and today? Your only real defense is to make friends over a bottle of wine and some cured…

Gadgets Mark Wilson

Fast Food Charms: Good for the Influential

While we would never bastardize the cold, black steel of our cellphone with accessories of any type, eventually we will probably find ourselves mixed up in some sort of cult. The leader of said cult (possibly Lam) may require us to tag our electronics with a mark of identification. Since he enjoys fast food (we’re…

Tech News Mark Wilson

Roman crocodile armor is the closest thing reality has to Dungeons & Dragons gear

The Real-Life Cult Experience Behind Sound of My Voice

The Amazing Seductiveness of a Cult Leader Who Knows the Future… Because She’s Been There

The catchiest New Wave song (written by a doomsday cult) of all time

Simultaneously the stupidest/most disturbing ending in horror movie history? [NSFW]

Que Malo, Narcos! Mexico attacks cartels with comics

The anime propaganda films of a Japanese death cult

Incredibly awkward police training video teaches you about Satanic cults

The Shrine shoves medieval weaponry into your eyes, turns you evil

The ancient meteorite cult of Estonia

Creepiest Cult Indoctrination Scene Of All Time

Heaven’s Gate UFO Cult Sneakers – Creepy, Wrong, or Fake?

Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid of These Science Fictional Cults

Scars Of Youth Trailer Opens Doors To Zombie Youth Cult

CD Fanboys Are Ready to Kick Ass, Slice Sausage

Fast Food Charms: Good for the Influential

Roku’s 2025 Streaming Stick HD Is 40% Off to Compete With Amazon Fire TV Stick During Spring Sale

Epstein Victims Sue Google, Claim AI Mode Exposed Personal Information

‘Wicked Spot’ Is a Fun, Sapphic Rom-Com That Yeets a Witch Into the Magical World of Influencer Culture

Anthropic and OpenAI Just Gave Us a Glimpse Into the Future of Model Pricing

Amazon Slashes 63% Off Acer Aspire Desktop for a Limited-Time Spring Sale, With Keyboard and Mouse Included

Smart Glasses Now Have One of the Vision Pro’s Best Features

Marvel Just Put ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 in a Very Weird Place in the MCU Timeline

Trump Drops $1B to Kill 2 Wind Farms, Then Watches a Bigger One Go Online

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

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Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

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