“An engrossing and tense documentary.”
— Ken Jaworowski, The New York Times
“Mesmerizes.”
— Robert Abele, LA Times
“Will Allen’s sunny gut-punch cult exposé HOLY HELL plays like a thriller, all right, with a darkness edging slowly over its swimsuit revelry, but Allen never cheats in the interest of suspense.”
— Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice
“Perhaps most gratifying is the film’s tempered, mature optimism – it is neither cloying nor dour, the two most common tonalities in contemporary nonfiction film.”
— Sean Malin, Austin Chronicle
“HOLY HELL is never less than enthralling.”
— Justin Gerber Consequence of Sound
“HOLY HELL is perhaps the fullest, most human view we’ve ever had of life inside a new religious movement — and the ever-complicated business of getting out of one.”
— Michael Agresta, Pacific Standard
“The film stitched out of that footage is one of the most intimate and emotionally involving examinations of how easily a seemingly benign spiritual movement can shift into a damaging, destructive cult. It also may be one of the most L.A. stories ever told.”
— Oliver Jones, The New York Observer
“An unprecedented close-up look...we watch with bated breath as the mask is slowly pulled off.”
— Owen Gleiberman, BBC
“Unique, captivating...never before has a cult documentary contained so much footage of its inner workings.”
— Justin Gerber, Consequence of Sound
“Acts as both an extreme cautionary tale and a personal exorcism.”
— Jason Newman, Rolling Stone