Seduced by the Cult: How to Free a Loved One From a Cult

Today, some 5 million Americans belong to some 2,500 groups which--depending on your definition--could be called "cults." Particularly attractive to young people looking for answers outside of traditional venues, cult membership is a problem that is only expected to grow with the coming of the new millennium. How to Free a Loved One From a Cult, the final episode in a four-part series, plays like something from The X-Files: ominous music and sensational skits (not a good idea when the subject is already sensational) alert viewers to the warning signs of being "seduced by the cult," such as a "glossy, starry-eyed" look, increased secretiveness, frequent absences, and a change in professed religious beliefs. Viewers are given advice on talking to family members suspected of joining a cult, and given tips on the legal issues (if the person is over 21, a "rescue" operation could very well be prosecuted as kidnapping) and deprogramming, which includes supplying the brainwashed person with plenty of food and rest. The other three videos in the series (series price: $229.80) are: A Growing Threat, The Tricks They Use to Seduce and Prevention: Before It's Too Late. Despite the occasionally overblown treatment of the topic, these programs do offer sound advice in a growing area of concern, and there is precious little else available on video on the subject. A strong optional purchase primarily for public libraries (kids in school would probably split a gut watching this). Aud: P. (R. Pitman)