PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Most Cult movies are one in the same. It always breaks into redundant rhetoric, such as mass suicide. Erik Bloomquist’s Self-Help breaks new ground by putting the emphasis on what really happens. What does happen when you lose your money, your house, your jobs, and stability? I don’t know, I never joined a cult. However, are you really there by choice, or is there something more sinister behind closed doors? Self-Help relies on original storytelling. Maybe in the end, that’s what hurt it for me. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the film, I do have some issues to weigh in on. Let’s get into the review.
Synopsis
After witnessing trauma as a child, two young women set out on an adventure to meet one of their mothers, who joined a cult. As the movie prograsses, will the members survive their dedication?
The Rundown
As anyone who reads my articles knows that I am not into films that rely on dialogue to reel you in. The scenes I was expecting came 45 minutes into the film, with the first half of the film just dialogue alone. For a longer film, this would,d work great. However, when you are trying to tell an entire story in a two-hour feature, sometimes it just isn’t going to work. The Self-Help saving grace for me was the gore that eventually crept its way from the shadows into the light.
The scenes you won’t forget are the main reason I enjoyed this film. If it hadn’t been for those scenes, I would have turned the film off. However, I didn’t shut it off; I kept watching, expecting something better eventually. It was from that point that the story made sense to me, and how dedicated the cult members are.
In The End
The story was interesting enough, and I loved the fact that there were no Flavor Aid drink shout-outs. I also enjoyed the idea of watching someone fall for the trap and become one with the cult members. What drives someone to yearn for that love? It comes from broken people who need it most. Members will go above and beyond to impress their leader. Most times, it is sexual abuse and taking advantage of someone who trusts their whole life in someone else’s hands. Honestly? It’s a sad state that, though it blew up in the 80s and 90s, people are still getting conned by faith healers and Nigerian princes. If you ever change your mind and decide to leave, you will lose everything you have, including all the money given to the purpose.
In the end, though I wasn’t thoroughly impressed, I don’t see watching this film as time I have wasted. I was happy for the opportunity to enjoy a movie based on cults that didn’t end in mass tragedy. Instead, one by one, they show how loyal they are. It made me kind of mad about how these people were perceived, broken spirits who would rather place their lives in someone else’s hands. You could say the same about believers in faith. It pretty much ends in a cult mentality. Sit, kneel, stand, sit, repeat seems to be the way of believing in a higher power that they have never seen. Thank you for giving us the film to try and have an understanding of what attracts people to these situations.
Self-Help released October 31st, 2025.
