Episode 258: The Heaven's Gate Cult

Let's Get Haunted

Comedy

4.8 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 13 May 2026

⏱️ 140 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses suicide. Decide if or when you wish to listen. YOU ARE NOT ALONE https://988lifeline.org/ On March 26th, 1997, police entered a quiet mansion in an affluent suburb of San Diego after receiving an anonymous tip requesting a welfare check. When a lone deputy stepped through the side door of the 9,200 square foot home, he was hit with what he would later describe as a "pungent odor.” A cursory search revealed 39 bodies laid out in identical rows—their faces were covered, but officers could see they were dressed uniformly, black tracksuits, brand nike sneakers, and arm patches that read “AWAY TEAM.” The media called it a mass suicide. But when the souls who once inhabited those bodies drank apple sauce and vodka laced with barbiturates, they did not believe they were dying… they believed they were boarding a spacecraft hidden behind the Hale–Bopp comet as it passed by earth. Today on LGH, we’re diving into the dark history and the very real present of a cult called Heaven's Gate. Because what most people don’t realize… is that Heaven’s Gate never actually ended. TIME STAMPS 00:00:00 HOOK & INTRO 00:18:30 FACTOR AD 00:36:18 BIOLOGICA AD 02:12:18 SECRET PASSWORD AND DONOR SHOUTOUTS! THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED!! Find out more about this week’s advertisers below! FACTOR- Head to https://factormeals.com/letsgethaunted50off and use code letsgethaunted50off to get 50% off and free daily greens per box with new subscription only, while supplies last until 09/27/2026. BIOLOGICA- Head to https://Biologica.com/HAUNTED to take the Quick Hormonal Life Stage Quiz and get up to 32% off your first subscription order. READ & LISTEN TO NAT’S BOOK! Amazon Kindle https://a.co/78hzQn9 Spotify Audiobook http://bit.ly/44DuQ90 *CHECK OUT ALY’S SOLO PODCAST!*: https://instagram.com/frightsizepod Other Important Stuff: Join the Patreon today! https://patreon.com/letsgethaunted LGH Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/letsgethaunted Buy Our Merch: https://www.letsgethaunted.com Check out the photo dump for this week’s episode: https://www.instagram.com/letsgethaunted Send us fan mail: PO BOX 1658 Camarillo, CA 93011 Send us your listener stories: www.letsethaunted.com *SPECIAL THANKS TO RYAN FOR HELP WITH EDITING~ SLAY* —— SOURCES [1] https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-26/heavens-gate-cult-members-found-dead [2] https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/heavens-gate-20-years-later-10-things-you-didnt-know-114563/ [3] https://www.newspapers.com/article/32138115/the_los_angeles_times/ [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEUcdefk5_E [5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqSZhwu1Rwo [6] https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/1b5xetm/the_heavens_gate_cult_website_is_still_up_after/ [7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luzcGnOOit0 [8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrdQNh6bNco&rco=1 [9] https://www.youtube.com/@heavensgatearchive2658 [10] https://www.cnn.com/US/9703/28/mass.suicide/links.html [11] https://heavensgate.com/ [12] https://www.webdesignmuseum.org/gallery/higher-source-1997 [13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBWASshQ0qA&t=225s heaven’s gate cult, heavens gate, heaven's gate documentary, marshall applewhite, bonnie nettles, do cult leaders believe their own lies, alien cult, ufo cult, hale bopp comet, hale bopp, 1997 cult, mass suicide cult, cult psychology, religious cults, doomsday cult, cult documentary, conspiracy podcast, haunted podcast, weird history podcast, occult podcast, true crime cults, alien religion, new age cults, manipulation tactics, brainwashing, cult survivors, san diego cult, heaven’s gate members, extraterrestrial belief system, spiritual manipulation, internet cults, early internet culture, heaven’s gate website, bizarre websites, cult aesthetics, y2k paranoia, sci fi religion, end times prophecy, metaphysical cults, podcast about cults, disturbing cult stories, paranormal podcast, conspiracy theories, ufos and cults, spiritual delusion, famous cult leaders, unexplained mysteries, let’s get haunted, LGH podcast, haunted internet lore, creepy true stories, fringe beliefs, esoteric cults, psychological horror in real life, american cult history, hidden history, mysterious deaths, cult behavior analysis, why people join cults, manipulation and devotion, apocalyptic movements, heaven’s gate nike shoes, heaven’s gate castration, heaven’s gate spaceship theory, alien salvation, weird religious movements, creepy cult facts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you consider yourself an enthusiast of dark Victorian history, you probably already know about the age of spiritualism, the grizzly murders, the body snatchers. But I try to dig a little bit deeper. My name is Genevieve Mannion, hostess of My Victorian Nightmare. If you find yourself intrigued by the salacious scandals, haunted happenings, and gothic poetry of the 1800s, join me every Monday for my Victorian nightmare wherever you find your podcasts.
0:31.1	I'm Rachel, and I have a new show, Woo Woo! Woo with Rachel Dratch. It's an otherworldly comedy podcast where I, along with my co-host Irene Bremis,
0:39.8	talk to my funny friends about their own experiences with the eerie and the unknown.
0:44.4	Psychics, spirits, astro projection, check, check, and check.
0:48.6	You may think we live in a world where there's a logical explanation for anything out of the ordinary,
0:52.8	but after you spend some time
0:54.2	with me and my pals, you might have your doubts and find that you too are woo-woo. So when the lobsters
1:00.3	come for us, when our lobster overlords come, you heard it here first. Join me for a podcast that
1:07.6	turns the mysterious tales of my funny friends into a spirited conversation.
1:12.4	Search for Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch, wherever you're listening now.
1:21.0	I just want to give a trigger warning before this episode starts.
1:24.2	This episode will discuss suicide, so decide if or when you wish to listen.
1:29.3	And if you are contemplating suicide, you're not alone. Call, text, or chat with someone 24-7
1:33.6	at the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or go to 988 lifeline.org. There are resources in the
1:40.8	description box for you. On March 26,, 1997, police entered a quiet mansion in an
1:48.2	affluent suburb of San Diego after receiving an anonymous tip requesting a welfare check.
1:56.3	When a lone deputy stepped through the side door of the 9,200 square foot home. He was hit with what he would
2:03.3	later describe as a pungent odor, the unmistakable scent of death. A cursory search revealed
2:11.4	39 bodies laid out an identical rows. Their faces were covered, but officers could see that they were dressed
2:19.2	uniformly, all black track suits, brand new Nike sneakers, and arm patches that read,
2:27.4	away team. The media called it a mass suicide. But when the souls who once inhabited those bodies drank applesauce laced with vodka and
2:38.0	barbiturates, they did not believe they were dying.
	...

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