{"data":{"id":"cff1f6c5-4b36-4ed6-996c-63900b47c3c3","originKind":"SYNDICATED","title":"Fringe Review: Take a nerdy trip through macabre mind control in CULTS","summary":"CULTS\n\n3 Stars (out of 5)\n\nStage 22, Holy Trinity, 10037 84 Ave.\n\nTwo self-proclaimed nerds reading Wikipedia articles about horrifying cult with added jokes and music – what’s not to love?\n\nOK, admittedly, this one won’t be for everyone, and indeed there were a few walkouts, but the chipper, crime-podcast vibe of this grim history lesson in five parts to hammer in the obvious point that MAGA is a cult was an ok way to pass an hour.\n\nUpon entry, a spout water cooler full of red juice inviting the tricklers-in with “Free Flavor-Aid Please Enjoy,” summoning of course the memory of the 1978 Jonestown Massacre and it’s technically product-incorrect spinoff phrase, “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid.”\n\nYou learn something every day! That is, unless someone controlling you makes damn sure you don’t.\n\nRead all our Fringe reviews here From Uganda’s The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God to the Star-Trek-loving Heaven’s Gate Nike-wearers to the Twelve Tribes, whose founder Elbert Spriggs cheerfully declared, “If you love your children you will not be swayed by their screams,” this is a bit of a horror roller coaster, for sure.\n\nBut bow-tied Reba Terlson delivers it all in such a high energy, otaku-yelling-on-the-Edmonton-Expo floor way that even a brief, horrific description of a cult leader performing amateur surgeries is stomachable (and I say this as a non-fan of the whole true crime thing).\n\nAs regional news readers know, we even have our own cults here in Canada, and Terlson gets into Roch Thériault’s doomsday cult Ant Hill Kids, one of its escapees describing her ordeals with him being like “having sex with a fridge.”\n\nShe saves the best for last getting into Japan’s Aum Shinrikyo, the reason most of us know about sarin gas, who tried to kill millions.\n\nNot everyday you hear grim stuff like this in a church! Well, Old Testament, aside …\n\nfgriwkowsky@postmedia.com\n\n@fisheyefoto.bsky.social\n\nRelated Fringe Review: Perfectly raunchy singer Shirley Gnome a must-see\n\nFringe review: The Sad Saga of the Edmonton Interurban Railway blows a mournful toot\n\nBookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.\n\nYou can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.","url":"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/theatre/edmonton-fringe-review-cults","imageUrl":"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/cults_304726489.jpg","publishedAt":"2026-08-15T19:31:33.000Z","sourceLabel":"Edmonton Journal Music","tags":["Entertainment","Festivals","Theatre"],"authorName":"Fish Griwkowsky","contentHtml":"<img alt=\"Cults, at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival.\" src=\"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/cults_304726489.jpg\" title=\"Cults, at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival.\" /><p> <strong>CULTS</strong> </p><p> <strong>3 Stars (out of 5)</strong> </p><p> <strong>Stage 22, Holy Trinity, 10037 84 Ave.</strong> </p><p> Two self-proclaimed nerds reading Wikipedia articles about horrifying cult with added jokes and music – what’s not to love? </p><p> OK, admittedly, this one won’t be for everyone, and indeed there were a few walkouts, but the chipper, crime-podcast vibe of this grim history lesson in five parts to hammer in the obvious point that MAGA is a cult was an ok way to pass an hour. </p><p> Upon entry, a spout water cooler full of red juice inviting the tricklers-in with “Free Flavor-Aid Please Enjoy,” summoning of course the memory of the 1978 Jonestown Massacre and it’s technically product-incorrect spinoff phrase, “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid.” </p><p> You learn something every day! That is, unless someone controlling you makes damn sure you don’t. </p><h2><a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/tag/edmonton-fringe-festival/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Read all our Fringe reviews here</a></h2><p> From Uganda’s The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God to the Star-Trek-loving Heaven’s Gate Nike-wearers to the Twelve Tribes, whose founder Elbert Spriggs cheerfully declared, “If you love your children you will not be swayed by their screams,” this is a bit of a horror roller coaster, for sure. </p><p> But bow-tied Reba Terlson delivers it all in such a high energy, otaku-yelling-on-the-Edmonton-Expo floor way that even a brief, horrific description of a cult leader performing amateur surgeries is stomachable (and I say this as a non-fan of the whole true crime thing). </p><p> As regional news readers know, we even have our own cults here in Canada, and Terlson gets into Roch Thériault’s doomsday cult Ant Hill Kids, one of its escapees describing her ordeals with him being like “having sex with a fridge.” </p><p> She saves the best for last getting into Japan’s Aum Shinrikyo, the reason most of us know about sarin gas, who tried to kill millions. </p><p> Not everyday you hear grim stuff like this in a church! Well, Old Testament, aside … </p><p> <a href=\"mailto:fgriwkowsky@postmedia.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">fgriwkowsky@postmedia.com</a>  </p><p> <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/fisheyefoto.bsky.social\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@fisheyefoto.bsky.social</a>  </p><h2>Related</h2><ul><li><a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/theatre/edmonton-fringe-review-singer-shirley-gnome\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Fringe Review: Perfectly raunchy singer Shirley Gnome a must-see</a></li><li><a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/fringe-review-the-sad-saga-of-the-edmonton-interurban-railway-blows-a-mournful-toot\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Fringe review: The Sad Saga of the Edmonton Interurban Railway blows a mournful toot</a></li></ul><p> <b><i>Bookmark our website and support our journalism:</i></b><i> Don’t miss the news you need to know — add </i><a href=\"http://edmontonjournal.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><i>EdmontonJournal.com</i></a><i> and </i><a href=\"http://edmontonsun.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><i>EdmontonSun.com</i></a><i> to your bookmarks and </i><a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/newsletters/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><i>sign up for our newsletters here</i></a><i>.</i>  </p><p> <i>You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: </i><a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/subscribe/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><i>The Edmonton Journal</i></a><i> | </i><a href=\"https://edmontonsun.com/subscribe/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><i>The Edmonton Sun</i></a>.  </p>","slug":"fringe-review-take-a-nerdy-trip-through-macabre-mind-control-in-cults","publicPath":"/news/2026-08-15-fringe-review-take-a-nerdy-trip-through-macabre-mind-control-in-cults"}}