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Overview of popular cultural depictions of Jim Jones
Jim Jones was a cult leader who on November 18, 1978, orchestrated the mass murder suicide of 909 members of his commune in
Jonestown, Guyana . Since the events of the Jonestown Massacre, a massive amount of literature and study has been produced on the subject. Numerous documentaries, films, books, poetry, music and art have covered or been inspired by the events of Jonestown.
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10] Jim Jones and the events at Jonestown has had a defining influence on society's perception of cults. The widely known expression "
Drinking the Kool-Aid " originated in the events at Jonestown, although the specific beverage used at the massacre was Flavor Aid rather than Kool-Aid.
[12]
Documentaries
Television
Film
Guyana: Crime of the Century a.k.a. Guyana: Cult of the Damned (1979), fictionalized
exploitation film (depicted here as 'Reverend James Johnson')
Cut and Run (1985), an exploitation thriller film depicting a cult-like army led by a follower of Jim Jones
The Sacrament (2013), a
found-footage horror film (depicted here simply as 'Father'; in addition, Jonestown has been renamed 'Eden Parish')
Jonestown (2013), an independent short film which dramatizes the last 24 hours in the lives of Jones (played here by Leandro Cano) and
The Peoples Temple Church through the eyes of a reporter.
[13]
The Jonestown Haunting (2020)
Two
biopics are in the works about Jones and Jonestown, one, Jim Jones , starring
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jones,
[8] and another, titled White Night , based on
Deborah Layton 's memoir
Seductive Poison , starring
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jones and
Chloë Grace Moretz as Layton.
[9]
Fiction literature
Jonestown , by
Wilson Harris . London:
Faber and Faber , 1996.
We Agreed to Meet Just Here , by
Scott Blackwood . Kalamazoo, Michigan: West Michigan University Press, 2009.
Children of Paradise , by
Fred D'Aguiar . New York:
HarperCollins , 2014.
Before White Night , by Joseph Hartmann. Richmond, Virginia: Belle Isle Books, 2014.
White Nights, Black Paradise , by
Sikivu Hutchinson . Infidel Books, 2015.
Beautiful Revolutionary , by Laura Elizabeth Woollett. London:
Scribe . 2018.
Music
"Brother Jonesie" by The Citations from their album Taking a Cruise with The Citations (1980)
"Ballad of Jim Jones" by
The Brian Jonestown Massacre from their album
Thank God for Mental Illness (1996)
[10]
"Carnage in the Temple of the Damned" by
Deicide from their album
Deicide (1990)
[10]
"Diäb Soulé" by
Acid Bath from their album
Paegan Terrorism Tactics (1996)
"Guyana (Cult of the Damned)" by
Manowar from their album
Sign of the Hammer (1984)
[10]
[14]
"Hypnotized" by
Heathen from their album
Victims of Deception (1991)
[10]
"Jimmie Jones" by
The Vapors from their album
Magnets (1981)
[10]
"Jonestown" by
The Acacia Strain , from their album
Wormwood (2010)
[10]
"Jonestown" by
Concrete Blonde , from their album
Mexican Moon (1993)
[10]
"Jonestown" by Evan Williams, at the
University of Cincinnati 's
College-Conservatory of Music (2015)
[4]
"Jonestown" by
Frank Zappa , from his album
Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger (1984)
[3]
"Koolaid" by
Accept , from their album
The Rise of Chaos (2017)
[10]
"Jonestown (Interlude)" by
Post Malone , from his album
Beerbongs & Bentleys (2018)
"Last Call in Jonestown" by
Polkadot Cadaver , from their album
Last Call in Jonestown (2013)
[10]
"Requiem" by
Lamb of God , from their album
Sacrament (2006)
"Reverend" by
Church of Misery , from their album Early Works Compilation (2011)
[10]
"Guyana Punch" by
The Judy's , from their album Washarama (1981)
[10]
"Jim Jones" by
SKYND from their EP Chapter 2 (2019)
"Pretty Picture" by
The Used from their album
The Canyon (2017) uses audio samples of the last sermon at Jonestown
"Go Outside" by
The Cults from their album "Cults" (2011) opens with a sample of one of his speeches.
Poetry
Bill of Rights , by
Fred D'Aguiar . London:
Chatto & Windus , 1998.
The Jonestown Arcane , by
Jack Hirschman . Los Angeles: Parentheses Writing Series, 1991.
Jonestown Lullaby , by Teri Buford O'Shea. Bloomington, IN:
iUniverse , 2011.
Jonestown and Other Madness , by
Pat Parker . Ithaca, NY:
Firebrand Books , 1985.
I. at Jonestown , by
Lucille Clifton . Next. Brockport: BOA, 1989.
Theater
The Peoples Temple . Written by Leigh Fondakowski, with Greg Pierotti, Stephen Wangh, and Margo Hall. Premiered in 2005
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See also
^
a
b
"The People's Temple, on Stage" . NPR. May 1, 2005. Retrieved October 1, 2018 .
^
a
b Slaven, Neil (2009).
Electric Don Quixote: The Definitive Story Of Frank Zappa . Omnibus Press. p. 373.
ISBN
978-0857120434 .
^
a
b
"Art Notes 2016 – Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple" . jonestown.sdsu.edu/ .
^
a
b
Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle , November 17, 2018, retrieved November 17, 2018
^
a
b Greene, Steve (October 19, 2018).
" 'Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle' Trailer: SundanceTV Doc Series Reenacts the 1978 Mass Death at People's Temple" . IndieWire . Retrieved November 17, 2018 .
^
a
b
"There's a New Crime Series On The Block" . February 28, 2019.
^
a
b
"Leonardo DiCaprio In Final Talks To Star & Produce 'Jim Jones' At MGM; Scott Rosenberg Writing" . Deadline . November 8, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2022 .
^
a
b
"Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Play Cult Leader Jim Jones in Jonestown Thriller 'White Night' " . The Hollywood Reporter. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022 .
^
a
b
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d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
"10 Songs About Cult Leader Jim Jones & Jonestown" . Themusicalhype.com . October 20, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2019 .
^
" 'Jonestown': Portrait of a Disturbed Cult Leader" . Day to Day . October 20, 2006.
Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2014 .
^
"Colchester Film Festival 2013—Jonestown" . YouTube. October 13, 2014. Archived from
the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved December 31, 2019 .
^ Petiteau, Frantz-E.
Camion Blanc: Jeroic Fantasy & Metal L Volume 1 . Camion Blanc. p. 391.
ISBN
978-2357796065 .
Sources
Timeline People
Members Congressional entourage Other
Books Films and television
Documentaries Dramatizations
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