Murder & Madness: The Cult Conspiracy, from award-winning director Jason Lapeyre (I Declare War), is an exposé of the criminal activity that took place in the Hare Krishna movement in America in the 1970s and ‘80s, adapted from the New York Times bestselling book by John Hubner and Lindsey Gruson.

Will Stapley, Head of Acquisitions at Sphere Abacus comments, “This is an incredible story of shocking events all taking place under the guise of a religious movement.  It’s jaw-dropping true crime at its best, brilliantly produced by our colleagues at Sphere Media.”

Bruno Dubé, CEO Sphere Media adds, “Murder & Madness: The Cult Conspiracy has been an excellent 360-degree collaboration from development to production through to distribution – clearly demonstrating the value of the growing synergy between Sphere Media companies.”

This fascinating feature documentary investigates how and why human nature drives some to dream the purest spiritual dreams but causes others to manifest our worst, basest nightmares.

It tells the story of devotees like Nori Muster, a key interviewee in the documentary, a young woman from Los Angeles who joins the movement to find inner peace and spiritual meaning and instead discovers a rotting heart of criminal activity taking place within ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Drug smuggling, stockpiling weapons, and the subjugation and exploitation of female devotees metastasizes to widespread child sexual abuse and murder, all under the watch of ISKCON’s spiritual leaders – the gurus who run the movement.