Disclaimer: This article mentions violence and suicide. Read discretion is advised.
The Jonestown Massacre remains one of the darkest moments in American history. In 1978, more than 900 people who were members of the Peoples Temple died in a mass murder-suicide. The tragedy that took place in Jonestown, a religious commune in Guyana, was ordered by the cult leader, Jim Jones. Over the years, the horrifying massacre has been revisited in several documentaries, including the latest docuseries Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown.
Per The Guardian, Jones ordered his followers to murder the California congressman, Leo Ryan, and several journalists. The group was on a “fact-finding mission to Jonestown.” On November 18, 1978, after the congressman’s visit was cut short, the delegation were escorted to the airstrip by Jones’ deputies. While they boarded the plane, the escorts open-fired at them. Meanwhile, at Jonestown, the cult leader announced that the US congressman had already been murdered, and the mass suicide was the only outcome left for the remaining members.
Some were willing, while others were coerced; the people of Jonestown were given cups of cyanide punch and syringes, reported The Guardian. More than 300 children were poisoned. The FBI later recovered the commune’s audio tapes, in which they could be heard crying and wailing. Following the ordeal, the Guyanese troops found Jonestown “littered with bodies.” Jones was also found dead by an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.
Jonestown: Paradise Lost
Jonestown: Paradise Lost is one of the documentaries that shed light on the final days of the Peoples Temple’s doomsday. Directed by Tim Wolochatiuk, the feature-length film was released in 2007. Jonestown: Paradise Lost looks into how Jones “led nearly a thousand followers from the United States, deep into the jungles of South America.” The plan was to build a community “free from oppression and violence—their paradise on Earth.” However, Jones had a dark side that the outsiders wanted to expose. In one day, that paradise was lost.
Jonestown: Paradise Lost is available to watch on Prime Video.
Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown
The docuseries Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown premiered on June 17, 2024, on Hulu. The tragedy’s survivors and eyewitnesses tell the story of the cult’s final hours that turned into a mass casualty event. The episodes revisit the rise of Jones’ following in California, who later enacted a plan to move the society. Soon after, abuse rumors prompted an investigation. After the cult leader’s sinister plan was put into action, the U.S. Special Forces were dispatched to uncover the tragedy as the search for survivors also began.
All episodes of Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown are available to watch on Hulu.
Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre
Directed by Nicole Rittenmeyer, Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre premiered in 2018. Per A&E’s synopsis, it “focuses on four women in Jim Jones’ inner circle who helped plan the 1978 Jonestown Massacre.” The two-hour special examines these women’s influence on the tragedy, as Jones wasn’t the only one responsible when it was “a plan was in place for everybody to die.” The docufilm also includes actual letters from Jonestown in 1978.
Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre is available on Hulu and Apple TV.
Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle
The 2018 docuseries Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle sees the survivors recall the terrifying ordeal. The documentary unravels how Jones felt conflicted with the “voice inside of him that was telling him he wasn’t enough.” It also includes declassified archival material that showcases the tragedy’s definitive account.
Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle is available to watch on Prime Video.
