The Best Documentaries About Scientology

Ranker Film
Updated August 11, 2023 3.2K votes 1.6K voters 190.0K views
Over 1.6K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Documentaries About Scientology
Voting Rules
Documentary films and TV series about L. Ron Hubbard, Scientologists, or the Church of Scientology

While there aren’t a ton of documentaries out there that detail the religion of Scientology, there are a handful that have taken a close look at what is behind the religion, whether or not it’s a cult, how the religion was actually founded, and the most famous members of the church, like Tom Cruise, as well as celebrities who have left. What are the best documentaries about Scientology? Check the list below!
 
The documentaries on this list cover any aspect imaginable related to Scientology, specifically the controversies brought to light by ex-members' first-hand accounts of the difficulties of leaving the church. Many of these films and docuseries are informational, providing historical background as well as undercover accounts from individuals who have left Scientology behind.
 
This list features the best documentary films and the best documentary series about Scientology, including: The Secrets of Scientology and Knowledge Report. Vote up your favorite Scientology docs below or add an enlightening documentary film that is not included.

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  • Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
    1
    Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief is a 2015 documentary film directed by Alex Gibney. Deconstructing the church's claims by presenting a condensed history of Scientology and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, the film also examines how celebrities interact with the church and highlights the stories of a number of ex-members and of the abuse and exploitation that they described seeing and experiencing.
  • Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath
    2

    Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath gives a voice to victims of the Church of Scientology despite public attempts to discredit them.

    Former Church of Scientology members discuss the abuse they suffered after leaving the organization.
  • Mike Rinder On Escaping Scientology Controversies
    3

    Mike Rinder On Escaping Scientology Controversies

    148 votes
  • Scientology: Jason Beghe Interview
    4

    Scientology: Jason Beghe Interview

    118 votes
  • Scientology and Me
    5

    Scientology and Me

    93 votes
    "Scientology and Me" is a television documentary first broadcast on 14 May 2007 as part of the BBC's Panorama series. In it, reporter John Sweeney visited the United States to investigate whether the Church of Scientology was becoming more mainstream. The programme gained particular controversy before and during filming due to unresolved differences on content and approach between Sweeney's production team and Scientology members. Tommy Davis, the international spokesperson for Scientology, did not want detractors or perceived enemies of the church to be interviewed or included in the documentary and wanted to censor any references to Scientology as a "cult". The scale of the controversy intensified when the Church of Scientology released a 40-second clip of video footage showing a screaming argument between John Sweeney and Scientologist Tommy Davis over the way in which Sweeney was interviewing critics of Scientology. In the clip, Sweeney yells "You were not there at the beginning of the interview! You were not there! You did not hear or record all the interview!" at Davis in reference to an interview Sweeney recorded with Scientology critic Shawn Lonsdale.
  • Knowledge Report
    6

    Knowledge Report

    43 votes