An impressionable young man finds himself enslaved by a modern-day religious cult. In an effort to bring him back to reality, the boy's parents hire a deprogrammer to kidnap him and return him to his family.
Acting
James Woods' snake-charmer deprogrammer steals every scene
Direction
Kotcheff's documentary-style tension builds queasy authenticity
Writing
Moral ambiguity refuses easy answers about rescue vs. violation
Director
Ted Kotcheff
Michael O'Keefe
Danny "Joshua" Stetson
Karen Allen
Rebecca / Amy
Peter Fonda
Kirklander
James Woods
Charles Pratt
Elizabeth Ashley
Diana Stetson
Brian Dennehy
Kevin Stetson
Ronnie Scribner
Sean Stetson
Pamela Ludwig
Jane
John Dukakis
Aaron
Lee Montgomery
Walter
Michael Sacks
Gabriel
Deborah Rush
Judith
Peter Horton
Jacob
Ken Farmer
Collins
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released at peak 'Satanic Panic' era, the film mirrors real deprogramming scandals like the Ted Patrick cases.
Michael O'Keefe researched actual cult members; his vacant stare in the 'reunion' scene reportedly disturbed test audiences so deeply the studio trimmed it.
CA
US
