Deadly Cults (2013) ... History Channel's 'Decoding the Past' documentary series takes a close look at the dark, destructive power of... Bobby December 15, 2012. Neva Sly Hargrave, Peoples Temple Member: And she takes this real slow, shaky step. He yelled, “Oh [expletive].” He said he got — he got shot. We have four senior citizens’ homes that are the most innovating, the most beautiful you want to see. And that the women were all lesbians and the guys were all gay. Marshall Kilduff, Journalist: These people would be on time, they’d be polite and nice. The little child may not be able to go and draw a paycheck, but the father guarantees the childcare. Creig Turner By Christmas, do you want to be gone?! And she starts walking up one of the aisles. But when you live in a dysfunctional family, you think it’s normal. Deborah Layton, Peoples Temple member and author, Seductive Poison It might not never happen. Willie Brown, California State Assemblyman (archival): You have managed to make the many persons associated with Peoples Temple part of a family. Let all the story of this Peoples Temple be told.”. Jim Jones (archival, subtitles): but also they deserve…what’s more, they deserve peace. Jim Jones (archival): Some people see a great deal of God in my body. My biggest problem was getting somebody to sort of talk to me about the Church in kind of conversational terms. They’ll torture some of our children here. On-screen text: Peoples Temple Farm, Ukiah — Redwood Valley, California. The remote Guyana outpost of cult leader Jim Jones' Peoples Temple, Jonestown was the site of a 1978 massacre that resulted in the deaths of more than 900 people. And he waited until it hit the floor — POW! Composed by John. I would never have imagined that twenty-four hours later, those people would be dead. He was just their preacher. Jim Jones In November 1978, a delegation, including Reps Leo Ryan and Jackie Speier, visited Jonestown with a news crew in an attempt to assist people who may have been held against their will. I said this is got to be a perfect way to live. They were just about to try to destroy us if we weren’t always viligant [sic] about our movement. The Occult. Mother! Congressman Leo Ryan (archival): I think that all of you know that I am here to find out more about — questions have been raised about your operation here. Jim Jones (archival, subtitles): Anyone that has any dissenting opinion, please speak. Bless your heart. Tim Carter lost his wife and son, sister, niece and nephew. On a certain level, it’s normal, you know? Jonestown: The Life and Death of … Everybody ran toward the plane, on this side of plane. Kristine Kravitz, Peoples Temple member Janet Shular, Peoples Temple Member: The first time I visited Peoples Temple, I drove at the urging of a friend — a co-worker — to Redwood Valley. Tim Carter, Peoples Temple Member: I went back to my cottage. The story goes that I was crying real loud and it drew attention for Marceline to come over, and once she picked me up, I stopped crying. What he spoke from the pulpit wasn’t what he did behind the scenes. KGO TV All Rights Reserved. Something terrible had happened, because everyone had red eyes except for Jim Jones. And all of a sudden, Jim says, “That wasn’t poison you drank.”. Tim Carter, Peoples Temple Member: As soon as I walked into the San Francisco temple, I was home. c/o Carlin America, Inc. That there were outside forces who didn’t want us to do what we were doing. Jim Jones (archival, subtitles): I agree, Christine Miller, Peoples Temple Member (archival, subtitles): You know…. Vernon Gosney, Peoples Temple Member: A father would turn in a son. "Jim Jones" Documentaries . We’re going to — you’re going to get healed today.” He said, “We’re going to — we’re going to heal those legs of yours. Jackie Speier, Aide to Congressman Leo Ryan: I was lying on my side, pretending that I was dead, with my head down. Male Peoples Temple Member (archival): Would you do it? They drove this truck all the way across the airstrip and stop on this side of the plane, so literally they cut us off from the jungle. Not that we’ve ever heard of cult members skipping off into the sunset, but seriously, why can’t cults ever have a happy ending? Dominique A. Delphine (formerly Joyce Shaw), Personal Collection I can’t begin to describe it. Courtesy of Vee-Jay Ltd. Partnership, That’s The Way Of The World June Cordell, Relative of Peoples Temple member Relative of Peoples Temple Member (archival): I think that Jim Jones took his group down there because he was afraid to face the publicity and answer the questions here in this country. Blinded by the Light (1998) Terrific documentary that tries to explain the phenomenon of modern cults and why their followers would sacrifice... Bobby March 14, 2013. A documentary on the 40th anniversary of the largest murder-suicide in American history, when over 900 members of the Peoples Temple consumed a deadly cyanide-laced drink on the orders of leader Jim Jones; interviews with Jones' two surviving sons. Stephen Sung, Sound Technician: We were there, supposed to interview some of the family members to ask them why they cannot leave. Deborah Layton, Peoples Temple Member, Author, Seductive Poison: In Jonestown, there was a speaker system and only Jim spoke on it. I looked to my right and I saw my wife, with our son in her arms and poison being injected into his mouth. Tim Carter, Stanley Clayton and three others escaped into the jungle. So you had to credit a big chunk of decisive votes to Peoples Temple. (Singing, archival): As pilgrims here, we sometimes journey. Former Peoples Temple Member (archival): He was talking integration. And he was getting more and more paranoid. This, along with interviews with former acolytes documents their slow descent into madness, makes it a truly fascinating chronicle of cult life. Yes, it was very tragic. It’s overwhelming, it really is. E. A. Phillips and Michelle G. Phillips James Molesky He would have her to come up in the midst of one of his meetings, and she used to say, “The man got power. A conservative candidate and a liberal candidate, George Moscone. And we were instructed that when Jim came in, we stood, and when he left or spoke, we’d stand and clap. I mean this reporter said, “We got our story.” You know, “The story’s here. I was there the afternoon that Edith drove away. Jonestown: Paradise Lost is a 2007 documentary television film on the History Channel about the final days of Jonestown, the Peoples Temple, and Jim Jones.From eyewitness and survivor accounts, the program recreates the last week before the mass murder-suicide on November 18, 1978. I don’t know what kind of games people like. I do not want to go back in any way, shape or form to the States. Vernon Gosney, Peoples Temple Member: I went and I spoke to the Congressman in the pavilion. Joyce Shaw-Houston, Peoples Temple Member: It’s kind of like when you get married and you have this ideal. Neva Sly Hargrave, Peoples Temple Member: I had welts really bad, and when I went to work the next day, one of my employees noticed the welts when I sat down. My brothers used to go over to Jimmy’s house and hung around his barn, which was where he played. Tim Carter, Peoples Temple Member: That’s when I noticed that there were armed guards that had kind of taken positions up around the pavilion. I don’t think that he feels confident having people talk to their relatives. John R. Hall, Sociologist: They were giving their life’s money and savings to the church, but in exchange, the church was agreeing to take care of them in the community, not just in a nursing home. Jim Jones (archival, subtitles): Hurry, hurry, my children, hurry! Jim Jones in 1978, in Jonestown, the year he would go on to cause the deaths of nearly a thousand (AP) AP/words by Adam Lusher How 918 followed a cult leader to Guyana and died in a single day Lovella Brown Eugene Smith, Peoples Temple Member: My wife had gone over three months prior. Hue Fortson Jr., Peoples Temple Member: But then we felt like we had gotten involved and gotten in so deep that it was actually no way out. They come and go all the time. You’re my people. People were being taken to airports. When Rosalyn Carter came to San Francisco, she gave Jim Jones a private audience. 40 years after the Jonestown massacre: Jim Jones' surviving sons on what they think of their father, the Peoples Temple today "There's somethings about Jonestown I'm never going to deal with." The government was not taking care of the people. You can do it. Fulcrum TV We have different containers surrounding the place — we couldn’t go through all of the tremendous inventory they built up. Jim Jones Jr., Peoples Temple Member: The move to California was really fun. Garrett Lambrev, Peoples Temple Member: The Peoples Temple services, they had life, they had soul, they had power. Jay Fialkov We started first grade together. You join a religious organization, you join a political movement, and you join with people that you really like. In 1977, as media interest grew Jim Jones and hundreds of his supporters left San Francisco, California and set out for Guyana determined to build a new community in the South American country. Performed by the Sterling Jubilee Singers Louis Theroux’s documentary is more personal than HBO’s exceptional Going Clear, but that’s not on Netflix. And then the question went on, “Well, how many of you in here have had him to do that?” And whether they were lying or just following suit, hands of the men just went up around the room. Neva Sly Hargrave, Peoples Temple Member: What he spoke about were things that were in our hearts. Joyce Bowman, Personal Collection Mike Harlow, Research Assistance But what I personally felt was that evil itself blew into Jonestown. But behind that, I think it was to gather more members for the Temple. On-screen text: Peoples Temple Choir — Something Got a Hold of Me. 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