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Oregon, the early 1980s. A sleepy ranching town wakes up to find thousands of red-clad followers building a city in the high desert. Their leader: a guru with a fleet of Rolls-Royces. Their neighbors: furious.
Wild Wild Country is the Netflix docuseries that tells the story of Rajneeshpuram, the commune built by followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh near Antelope, Oregon. Directed by Chapman and Maclain Way, it was released in 2018 and runs six episodes. What sets it apart is access. The filmmakers lean on interviews with former members, including Ma Anand Sheela, the guru's fiery spokesperson, alongside local residents and officials who lived through the fight, plus a trove of archival footage.
What starts as a land-use dispute escalates fast. Political maneuvering. Allegations of wiretapping. A mass food-poisoning that sickened hundreds in 1984. Federal investigators moved in, and several top members were ultimately convicted of crimes. Everyone in the series has a version of events, and they don't always match. Who was the aggressor? Who was the victim? The series lets you decide, and you may change your mind more than once.
Cult stories rarely come this strange or this well documented. Clear your night, settle in, and find where to stream it on JustWatch. It has been a Netflix staple, but availability can shift, so check before you press play.
