Guyana: Crime Of The Century (1979) On DVD

Nearly 1,000 people - even tiny babies and children - lay dead and rotting in the morning sun in the South American country of Guyana, all victims of cult leader Jim Jones, who had ordered the mass execution of his followers in the 1978 incident called by many "The Crime of the Century."

Guyana: Crime Of The century, Cult Of The Damned, a horrific dramatization of the Guyana tragedy, where the names have been changed to protect the innocent, traces the steps of Rev. Jim Johnson (Jim Jones - portrayed by Stuart Whitman), a highly charismatic but profoundly paranoid man of the cloth, who, after years of evangelism and good deeds, starts his own church in the mid-western United States. When Johnson becomes increasingly obsessed with the belief that the CIA is "a wicked enemy" who is out to get him, he emigrates with his congregation to Guyana, where he plans to create a utopia. But Johnson's "utopia" consists of a society where he demands his followers turn their minds, bodies and possessions over to him, one that is rife with orgies, physical violence, mental torture and sexual abuse of children and adults. Ultimately, Johnson's paranoia reaches a fevered pitch that culminates in him taking savage action against his own congregation.

Scenes so brutal they were dubbed THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY unfolded in Guyana in 1978, and are retold in this dramatization of events. The small South American country had provided a haven for a maverick American preacher by the name of Rev. Jim Johnson (Stuart Whitman), otherwise known as Jim Jones. Afraid that the CIA were after him, Jones and his sizeable congregation moved to Guyana, where they practiced away from prying eyes. But under the spell of Jones, something went horribly wrong. Orgies, torture, and violence proliferated throughout the community, with Jones leading his followers on a journey into the dark reaches of the soul, reaping some unholy consequences as a result. Director Rene Cardon Jr's attempt at retelling the story of Jones and his cohorts is a powerful, moving work. Taking a look at how a potent mixture of charisma, confidence, and paranoia can sway a deadly influence over others, GUYANA: CRIME OF THE CENTURY is a startling trip into a world which few would imagine could possibly exist.