Disclaimer: I included links to relevant Amazon listings, YouTube videos or Netflix pages for more info in this Dancing For The Devil review. I am an Amazon affiliate and may earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases. Please check parental and trigger warnings before watching any movie or show discussed.
Dancing For The Devil
Released: 2024
Setting: Los Angeles, CA
Genre: 3 episode documentary
Dancing For The Devil synopsis
Dancing For The Devil (on Netflix here) is a 3 episode Netflix docuseries in which we got to know a once close knit family whose daughter/sister, Miranda, was taken in by a cult. More specifically, the 7M tiktok cult, led by pastor Robert Shinn. But what does tiktok have to do with religion? Or cults?
Well, Robert Shinn had led a church cult for many years. The cult was like a family, where he gave everyone group housing and jobs but all the money went to him. And people listened because they thought he was a man of God.
Because he was after fame and fortune, he tried to get his members involved in Hollywood so he could pocket the money and take credit for producing stars. This was to no avail. Then, he switched gears and began to target young, up and coming tiktok stars who needed management help and also want to be saved from hell.
Dancing For The Devil review
The docuseries did a great job explaining what happened, why it was a cult, how Miranda got enmeshed in it, and gave us good background on the events that transpired. What interested me even more was hearing the stories of former members: why they stayed for so long (20+ years) and how they got out.
I do wish we got more background on Robert Shinn. Did he show signs of manipulative behavior growing up? Did he start his church with this kind of exploitation in mind? And what do his parents and siblings say?
Overall, learning about a cult like this that’s still controlling members’ lives in 2024 and the way it entangled religion, tiktok and cult dynamics was fascinating. You can’t go wrong watching this true story unfold.
Its messages
This docuseries was a reminder that religion has so much power, and probably always will. That power can be used either for good or for bad, and in this case it was used for bad.
It was also the fear of the unknown, of hell, that Robert took advantage of. To me, any time there’s too much mention of hell as a motivation to do anything, it’s a red flag…which reminds me of The Good Place (YouTube trailer here), which I need to do a review on. What it all boiled down to was that these young tiktokers thought they were doing to right thing by becoming more involved in religion, only for it to completely blindsight them. I hope they can all fully recover and find peace.
My rating: 7.5/10.
Read more…
Reading Ideas for Lit Fic Lovers
Watch or Skip? Let Go on Netflix
