What To Know About The Cult In Netflix’s ‘Devil In Ohio’

The NetflixNFLX
thriller Devil In Ohio is about a young woman who escapes the brutalities of a devil-worshipping cult and the kind-hearted family that takes her in.

In the eight-episode cult-thriller, hospital psychiatrist Dr. Suzanne Mathis (Emily Deschanel) decides to help the terrified cult escapee by bringing her home to live with her husband Peter (Sam Jaeger) and their three daughters. Their world is turned upside down soon after they take in the mysterious Mae Dodd (Madeleine Arthur).

At first, Mae is supposed to stay for one night while Suzanne looks for a foster family to take care of her, but things take longer than expected. They quickly realize that their family is in danger.

The limited series, which premiered on September 2, is inspired by true events and begs many questions about cults and religious extremism and the people who find themselves caught in these destructive webs. The subject is clearly intriguing to many, as viewers binge-watched over 35 million hours over the Labor Day weekend. The show also landed in the Top 10 in 52 countries.

For Deschanel, curiosity and personal experience drew her to this role. “I have a fascination with cults. I have a friend who joined a cult, though she would probably call it a spiritual community,” she said in a phone interview, adding that she has no contact with her anymore. “It took control of every aspect of her life.”

Deschanel, who has studied cults over the years, explains her fascination with the group psychology aspect. “I’m curious why people are drawn to join something like that.”

Devil in Ohio is based on Daria Polatin’s 2017 bestselling novel of the same name. She also created the television series and served as showrunner. Many viewers wonder if the cult in Polatin’s story is real. The answer to that question is yes and no.

Though true events inspired the book and series, the cult portrayed at its center is entirely fictional. Polatin’s novel was inspired by a story that executive producer Rachel Miller told her that took place in Ohio, and she took seeds of that story and fictionalized it.

Polatin and her team of writers spent months building up the cult’s lore, going as far as to write their own bible, the Book of Covenants, and even included hymns and prayers to make it as specific as possible.

One gruesome detail is a bloody upside-down pentagram carved into Mae’s back which, in the story, is part of a sacred ritual meant to worship at the altar of Lucifer Morningstar, aka The Devil. As the series progresses, the viewer learns more about the cult’s dark history.

Polatin and her team interviewed former members of different cults. They gathered themes and rituals from various religions and ideologies to create the show’s cult in the fictional Amon County, Ohio.

The subject of cults is highly engrossing, and Polatin understands how and why people are intrigued. “I think it goes back to an evolutionary instinct to be part of a tribe. Historically, that’s what helped people survive in the wild. You needed to be a part of a group to fend off weather and predators and to find food. It’s rooted deep in our psychology.”

And it’s not just about the physical community connection, adds Polatin. “It’s about emotional connection, a sense of belonging, and wanting to feel that sense of community, but it’s taken to the extreme. The human need to connect can be exploited very easily.”

In a recent interview, Jaeger also warned about the fine line between religion and extremism. “With cults, all it takes is one person with some charisma and a desire for power to grab ahold of people.”

Cults are notorious for cutting people off from friends and family, leaving members with no one to turn to if they want to leave. Most of us think this could never happen to us, but Deschanel disagrees. “It could happen to anyone, and that’s what is so fascinating, and it can happen without you even knowing it,” she warns. “And, it doesn’t happen overnight. You’re not drinking the Kool-Aid right away. These are highly manipulative people who know how to exploit people’s weaknesses. It’s like a bait-and-switch; you think you’re getting one thing, and you get sucked in, and then you have to accept the parts you didn’t come for.”