Go Clear With All The Scientology Stuff On Streaming

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney took on Lawrence Wright’s stunning exploration of the church in book form and turned it into a fascinating documentary for HBO. While the book contains a lot more revelations than the film does, both are necessary reading/viewing for anyone who is mildly interested in learning anything about Scientology.��Going Clear utilizes interviews with former Church members and historical documents as well as archival footage to tell the unsettling story of the church’s founding, its current state, and the alleged abuses that occur inside its walls (as well as the juicy celebrity gossip!)

Stream Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief on HBO

This off-beat examination of the potentially exhausted subject matter that is the Church of Scientology surprises by carrying a more personal, eccentric touch than anything else out there. Documentarian and BBC broadcaster Louis Theroux leads the charge to find out more about the scandal-ridden church, but when it becomes apparent that he’s going to continue to run into red tape, he changes course – and casts actors to play prominent figures from the church. The results are chilling, absurd, and entertaining.

Where to Stream My Scientology Movie

Actress Leah Remini, perhaps best known for her tenure on The King of Queens opposite Kevin James, has spent the last few years making waves with the release of a book detailing her upbringing in the Church of Scientology as well as her television show, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. Since leaving the church in 2013, she has become an outspoken critic of Scientology and its practices, and each episode of the series examines the abuse and harassment experienced by those who have left and publicly criticized the Church. The personal, painful elements of the show make it impossible to look away – and you won’t have to, as the show will return for a second season later this year. (In response to the series, the Church created a website with the sole purpose of discrediting the show).

Where to Stream Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

In the process of making her new series, Leah Remini sat down for an episode of 20/20 to discuss her new show, her career, her experience in the Church, and the harassment she had fallen prey to since leaving. The episode examines the way the Church has slammed them online, stalked them in person, and sent them legal materials and documents to try to scare them out of continuing production. This fascinating look at how far the Church will go to protect their reputation is mind-boggling and scary.

Stream Scientology: A War Without Guns on ABC

This lesser-known Australian documentary takes what initially seems like a familiar dive into the Church, but hears from lesser-heard former members who want to shine a light on the abuses they’ve suffered within the Church and the family members they’ve had ripped away from them since leaving. While this one is certainly less emotional and glitzy than the other big-name productions we’ve mentioned, it’s full of terrifying accounts you won’t be able to get out of your head.

Where to Stream Scientology: The Ex-Files

While definitely not as well-known as the above documentaries, this hour-long look at the brainwashing within the church is fascinating. It kicks off with an interview with the Vice President of Scientology Germany, which is a surprise in itself – nowadays, Church members rarely ever give interviews or appear in documentaries. There are even interviews with a Sea Org member and a prominent Scientologist in the film, which is baffling given the recent documentaries that have been released with no input from the Church whatsoever. This never happens anymore; they’re now on something of a press lockdown. This short documentary explains the foundation of the religion and their essential beliefs, and the habit of brainwashing within the Church.

Where to Stream Scientology: The Science of Truth or the Art of Deception

While filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson downplays his film’s similarities to the religion, many of the references are too obvious to ignore. The late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Lancaster Dodd, the leader of a movement called “The Cause”; Dodd is pretty blatantly a caricature of L. Ron Hubbard, and The Cause is highly reminiscent of Scientology. They “process” their members (much like Scientologists audit theirs), operate counseling centers, and offer billion-year contracts for their most dedicated members. A former Scientologist lays out all the similarities here, but Scientology aside, this is a hell of a movie.

Where to Stream The Master

While there are many things about The Path‘s central faith, Meyerism, that do not bear any similarity to Scientology, many of the underlying themes at play carry a striking resemblance. The cult behavior, fear of losing loved ones to the outside world (known in Scientology as “disconnecting”), and denial that their leader is in poor health (Church members do not refer to L. Ron Hubbard as deceased, though he has been for a very long time), and other aspects of the show all are slightly reminiscent of the Church. Meyerism definitely holds its own among the weirdest of fictional religions, however, and the Aaron Paul, Hugh Dancy, Michelle Monaghan-starring show is worth adding to your queue for more reasons than one.

Where to Stream The Path

“The Institute of the Higher Mind” is not exactly the most subtle pseudonym for Scientology, but The Arrangement isn’t subtle either. The E! scripted series is a pretty blatant imagining of the wheels that turned behind Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes‘ high-profile relationship and eventual messy split. Yeah, it’s soapy, but it’s ridiculously entertaining.

Where to Stream The Arrangement 

South Park is no stranger to controversy, and this episode fully leans into the ridiculous beliefs that Church members have about L. Ron Hubbard and his apparent reincarnation. It also pokes a lot of fun at Tom Cruise: “Tom Cruise won’t come out of the closet!”, bringing in Nicole Kidman to try to convince him to come out, and later John Travolta, who joins him. The episode goes into the real, actual beliefs the Church propagates about Xenu, the alien overlord who brainwashed souls that later became human beings. Sound too crazy to be true? Welp, that’s what they believe.

Stream South Park: What Scientologists Actually Believe on Hulu