Cult

Cult

Year: 2013

Runtime: 84 mins

Language: Japanese

Director: Koji Shiraishi

FantasyHorror

A television show focuses on three female idols investigating a reported exorcism. The exorcist, Unsui, possessing psychic abilities, believes the Kaneda family is afflicted by a formidable demon that requires assistance to banish. He calls upon a colleague, and a ghost hunter joins the investigation, leading the idols to witness increasingly disturbing and frightening occurrences.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Cult yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Cult (2013) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Cult (2013), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Tomoe Kaneda, Sayuri Oyamada, a housewife, and her 15-year-old daughter Miho Kaneda, Natsumi Okamoto, move into a new home where eerie phenomena begin to surface and are even caught on camera, drawing a paranormal TV show to the case. What starts as curious disturbances soon feels menacing, as doors creak on their own, lights flicker, and suspicious footprints appear in the living room. The family tries to carry on with ordinary life, but the sense of an unseen presence grows more persistent with each passing day, turning their quiet routine into a fragile fight for safety.

To investigate, the show brass in a small, tense crew: the three actresses — Yû Abiru, Mayuko Iwasa, and Mari Iriki — and a Buddhist priest named Unsui, Shigehiro Yamaguchi. They arrive with cameras rolling, hoping to document any paranormal activity and provide dramatic evidence for television audiences. The investigation begins with ritual cleansing and purification attempts, the priest explaining that an impure energy lingers around the house and around Miho in particular. The team conducts a series of cleansing rites, yet the strange occurrences persist and even intensify, casting a heavier shadow over the family.

During one intense exorcism plan, Unsui attempts to perform a sweeping exorcism on the entire house in an effort to drive away the lingering evil. In the chaos, Miho slips into a trance and tragically kills the family’s dog, a shocking moment that raises the stakes and tests the crew’s resolve. The incident unsettles everyone, blurring the line between staged television drama and genuine danger, and it foreshadows a deeper, darker plot lurking beneath the surface.

A week later, the team returns to the house with Ryugen, Hajime Inoue, the priest’s superior, who brings a more formal ritual approach. Ryugen conducts a careful ritual and reveals a chilling truth: Miho is possessed by an evil spirit. The revelation unsettles the on-screen investigators and shakes their confidence in the show’s premise. Mari Iriki’s character is pushed to an emotional breaking point by the unfolding horror, and she chooses to quit the production rather than continue to chronicle a reality that feels increasingly dangerous.

The exorcism effort takes a deadly turn when Unsui is attacked by the malevolent force during the rite, soon succumbing to his injuries in the hospital. Not long after, Ryugen himself is hunted down and killed by the very spirit that has haunted the house, leaving the team leaderless and more exposed than ever. The situation spirals into a crisis that makes the investigators question who they can trust and what they owe to Miho and Tomoe.

Into the breach steps a new freelance exorcist known as Neo, Ryosuke Miura, who joins the group with a growing sense of urgency and grit. He soon uncovers a troubling detail: the neighbors have intentionally cursed the house, a deliberate act meant to invite a monstrous energy into the living space. Meanwhile, Mari faces professional punishment from her boss for stepping away from her job, only to reveal a surprising twist of power—telekinesis that crushes his desk as she proclaims that her god is coming.

That night, Neo and his team press back against the neighbors, hoping to sever the curse at its source. As the truth comes into sharper relief, it’s revealed that Tomoe is not Miho’s real mother but a member of a spiritual cult that abducted Miho years earlier. The cult believes Miho is the perfect conduit for their god to enter the human world, a revelation that reframes every prior event as part of a larger, more dangerous ritual.

Neo’s exorcism efforts grow increasingly exhausting as the battle between the living and the spiritual intensifies. Tomoe manages to escape during the ensuing chaos, but those who remain inside the house are confronted by a chilling apparition of Mari, who warns that the cult’s god is arriving to bring humanity to an end. The final confrontation looms as the group faces a fate tied to forces far beyond their original television project, with the line between witness and participant blurred and the true power behind the haunting revealed in full. Mari Iriki appears again in this haunting vision, underscoring the eerie convergence of reality, belief, and the supernatural.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:08

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Reality TV Horror Movies like Cult

Stories where filming a documentary becomes a terrifying confrontation with the paranormal.If you liked the meta-horror of 'Cult', where a TV crew investigates the supernatural only to become part of the story, you'll find more chilling experiences here. This collection features movies like 'Noroi: The Curse', 'Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum', and 'The Blair Witch Project', where the act of filming becomes a terrifying fight for survival.

found footagedocumentary styleunsettlingclaustrophobicanxiousparanormal investigationmeta-horror

Narrative Summary

Films in this thread typically follow a crew investigating a paranormal claim or urban legend. The narrative unfolds through their lens, starting with skepticism and building evidence before a sudden, violent shift into genuine peril. The story structure is often defined by the loss of control and the collapse of the 'fourth wall' as the characters become the subject of their own horror story.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their unique presentation style and core premise. They share a tense, found-footage aesthetic, a sense of voyeuristic dread, and a narrative that questions the nature of reality through the lens of a camera. The experience is immersive and feels unnervingly authentic.

Cult Conspiracy Horror Movies like Cult

Horror stories where a simple investigation uncovers a vast, apocalyptic cult plot.Fans of 'Cult' who enjoyed the twist from a family possession to a wider cult conspiracy will find similar dread-filled narratives here. Discover movies like 'The Empty Man', 'The Wicker Man', and 'Kill List', where uncovering a dark secret society leads to a terrifying and bleak conclusion.

cultconspiracyapocalypticbleakoppressivecosmic horrorpsychological manipulation

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a protagonist or group investigating a localized strange event. As they dig deeper, they discover the event is a deliberate act by a hidden cult with ambitions far beyond their understanding, often involving ancient gods or apocalyptic rituals. The journey is one of escalating dread and revelation, culminating in a confrontation with a power they cannot defeat.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread share a specific narrative arc that expands the scope of horror from the personal to the cosmic. They are united by themes of hidden organizations, psychological manipulation, ancient evils, and overwhelmingly bleak endings where the evil force proves too powerful to overcome.

Unlock the Full Story of Cult

Don't stop at just watching — explore Cult in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Cult is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Cult Timeline

Track the full timeline of Cult with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Cult Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in Cult

Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Cult. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.

Characters, Settings & Themes in Cult

Cult Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Cult that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Cult Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Cult

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Cult: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Cult