| Director | Santiago Correa |
| Alternate Title | Antares de la Luz: La secta del fin del mundo |
| Runtime | 100 minutes |
| Genre | True Crime Documentary |
The Doomsday Cult of Antares De La Luz is really uncomfortable to watch in a way, not only because of the pure insanity that the cult’s founder Chilean musician Ramón Gustavo Castillo Gaete got himself in the end which brought forth his doom, but also because the ex-members’ chilling narratives regarding their time in the cult, most importantly how they followed this man willingly and trusted him with all their heart… at first.
The true crime documentary film is thrilling to watch because it really gets under your skin. It makes a chilling point that vulnerable people can so easily be targeted by predators such as these and made to do things against their will. The accounts of the ex-members is nothing short of mind-boggling and baffling, even before the true horror starts to take shape later on in the runtime. The nuanced information in the inner workings of this cult will leave everyone stunned, regardless of how much you think you know about them. The mind-control tactics employed by such leaders are so creepy that it makes the hair on your neck stand up.
The entire documentary film is narrated by the ex-members of Antares De La Luz’s doomsday cult and the story slowly and creepily gets more and more intense. At first, it starts out small and innocuous but the direction that the story takes after a while will leave anyone surprised. Of course, considering true crime, we already know the bigger moments of this story but it’s the smaller manipulations that will leave anyone stumped from start to finish.
With such a well-known story, however, it is surprising that the documentary doesn’t go down the dramatic route and make a spectacle of its participants. Rather, the story is told in quite a matter-of-fact way and the information is presented (I think) without bias or anything extra. It makes the story more gut-wrenching, in my opinion, and lets it speak for itself. There are quite a few re-enactments that take the story forward. They are well-made and aren’t over-the-top either and keep things simple but effective.
The Doomsday Cult of Antares De La Luz Review: Final Thoughts
This uncomfortable film is nothing short of a nightmare. It is very effective and does what it’s supposed to do to create an impact. There’s something about the film that really gets under your skin and leaves you a bit scared of these enigmatic megalomaniacs.
The Doomsday Cult of Antares De La Luz is streaming on Netflix.
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