64
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100ConsequenceJustin GerberConsequenceJustin GerberHoly Hell ropes us in with tales of delusion before chilling us with tales of terror.
- 80Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlWill 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.
- 70Screen DailyDavid D'ArcyScreen DailyDavid D'ArcyEven by cult documentary standards, this one finds absurd depths in the peddling of enlightenment.
- 70TheWrapSam FragosoTheWrapSam FragosoHoly Hell — despite its unprecedented access — finds itself oscillating back and forth between mediocrity and illumination.
- 67Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAustin ChronicleMarc SavlovAllen’s film is as much a self-reckoning as it is a cautionary tale for other spiritual seekers, and as such it offers invaluable insights into how cults – and especially cults of personality – function and grow. “Namaste,” for the record, is also an anagram for “Me Satan.”
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThough the material is juicy and the interviews heartfelt, the doc doesn't completely succeed in efforts to explain the spell this and similar groups cast on their acolytes.
- 50IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichThere's an undeniable anthropological value to Allen's footage — imagine if one of David Koresh's most-trusted disciples had recorded every second of his time in the Heaven's Gate — but his film is far more compelling as an artifact than it is as a narrative.
- 42The Film StageDaniel SchindelThe Film StageDaniel SchindelDespite its worthy plot and the wealth of great footage with which it had to work, Holy Hell is a mess.
- 38Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardIt hopes to jolt audiences with OMGs instead of edifying them about the empty lure of Buddhafield's cult mentality.