Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
A Netflix docu-series has been chillingly compared to The Handmaid's Tale as viewers continue to reel from it three years on from its release.
The 'traumatising' four-parter - which has been likened to a 'horror movie' by viewers - explores 'Mormonism's darkest hour', taking viewers on a deep dive into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamist Mormon denomination led by Warren Jeffs.
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Check out the official Netflix trailer here:
Women in the infamously-secretive community were raised to believe they must serve their husbands and obey all commands without complaints - something which strikes up a number of grim parallels to Margaret Atwood's dystopia which sees women lose bodily autonomy altogether after being 'assigned' to wealthy couples who are unable to conceive.
The documentary, titled Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, features several seriously disturbing interviews with excommunicates of the FLDS church, some of whom had intimate relationships with Jeffs - who was made prophet in 2002 after inheriting the role from his father, Rulon Jeffs.
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The women in the church were also forced to dress a certain way and had to pray on the hour, every hour, with the message 'pray and obey' scrawled onto buildings.
Jeffs’ West Texas ranch was raided in 2008, resulting in 12 men being charged with child abuse.
What happened to Warren Jeffs and where is he now?
By the time of Jeffs' arrest in 2008 and subsequent sentencing in 2011, he had married as many as 78 women - some of whom he 'inherited' from his father.
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Out of those 78 women, 24 were underage and one was just 12 years old.
He also married off countless underage girls to other adult men in the group and is currently serving a life sentence for his crimes, having been found guilty of two counts of child sexual assault.
Despite all this, he is still considered the prophet and president of the FLDS, and thousands of his followers remain to this day.
Viewers 'traumatised' by 'horror' documentary
After watching the 'skin-crawling' doc, Netflix users rushed to social media to share their reactions.
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One Twitter user penned: "I watched Keep Sweet: Prey and Obey last night and cannot get it out of my noggin. It’s really 2022 and we’re literally living in The Handmaid’s Tale."
"Keep Sweet is a reminder that men will make up any f*cking religion to be able to control women and be able to have 23 wives," fumed a second while a third exclaimed: "Guys watch Keep Sweet: Prey and Obey on Netflix OMG?!!"
A fourth declared: "Keep Sweet: Prey and Obey is still the most insane documentary ever!"
"Keep Sweet: Prey and Obey ~ was sick AF," reviewed a fifth while a sixth admitted: "I’m watching Keep Sweet: Prey and Obey and I’m in a state of SHOCK."
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A seventh echoed: "Keep Sweet: Prey and Obey. Absolutely horrible to sit through."
"Episode 4 of Keep Sweet: Prey and Obey is literally a horror film," agreed an eighth.
Keep Sweet: Prey and Obey is currently available to stream on Netflix.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: Documentaries, Crime, Netflix, Real Life, True Life, TV And Film, Tyla Recommends, Social Media, True Crime, US News
Rhiannon Ingle