10. Aum Shinrikyo

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Aum Shinrikyo is a Japanese doomsday cult. Their leader, Shoko Asahara, became a familiar face in the media in the 1990s after he was arrested for releasing poisonous gas in the subway system in Tokyo, killing 13 people.

The group has been designated as a terrorist organization in several countries. Asahara was executed by hanging in 2018 for his crimes in the 1990s.

11. Blackburn Cult

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A group founded in the 1920s in Los Angeles, the Blackburn Cult was also known as the Great Eleven Club. The group’s leader, May Otis Blackburn, believed she spoke directly to angels.

The cult sacrificed animals, believed they could raise corpses from the dead, and was suspected of foul play in several disappearances.

12. The Ant Hill Kids

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A Canadian cult founded in the late 1970s, the Ant Hill Kids were under the control of their leader, Roch Thériault. He had multiple wives and fathered 26 children. If members attempted to leave the group, they were severely punished. Some were even forced to break their own legs.

Thériault was suspected of physical and sexual abuse of his followers. The group fell apart in 1989, and Thériault was imprisoned for life in 1993 for the murder of one of his followers. In February 2011, Roch Thériault was murdered in prison in Canada by another inmate.