True crime fans have uncovered a horrific documentary that left viewers “disgusted” when it first aired.
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey tells the harrowing true story of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), led by Warren Jeffs.
Having first aired in 2022, it uncovers the crimes and abuse that led to Jeffs being dealt a life sentence in prison.
The four episodes feature disturbing interviews with survivors and excommunicates of the FLDS church, a polygamist Mormon denomination, including some who had intimate relationships with Jeffs.
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He had married 78 women by the time of his arrest, “inheriting” some of those wives from his father, Rulon Jeffs, when he took over the role. Of those, Netflix notes that 24 were underage, and one was aged just 12 years old.
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey left viewers disgusted (Image: Netflix)
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He also married several underage girls to other adult men in the group. As of today, Jeffs, 70, is serving a life sentence for his crimes, but is still considered the prophet and president of the church, having maintained thousands of followers despite his heinous acts.
In the documentary, some of the victims and former FLDS members speak about how they, and other members of the congregation, were coerced by him before a 2008 raid saw law enforcement agents bring to light the evidence of sexual, physical and psychological abuse hundreds of people endured.
The synopsis reads: “In 2008, a dramatic raid at the Yearning for Zion Ranch in West Texas generated attention around the world, as law enforcement agents uncovered stunning evidence of sexual, physical and psychological abuse and took 400+ children into custody.
“Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey , directed by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Rachel Dretzin, gives viewers an in-depth look into the secretive polygamous sect of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) and the rise of self-professed prophet Warren Jeffs.
Viewers were left horrified by the true story (Image: Netflix)
“The four-part documentary series features never-before-seen archival footage and harrowing personal stories from some of the courageous women and men who escaped.
“From forced underage marriage and pregnancy to a complete unraveling into an oppressive criminal cult under Warren Jeffs’ rule, the story uncovers extraordinary bravery battling tyrannical control in modern America.”
Viewers have been left horrified by the true story, with one suggesting it under a Reddit thread for “the most horrifying crime documentary ever watched”, writing: “The ending of that one just left [me] so disgusted.”
Another called it “sickening”, adding: “As someone who’s a millennial, I was too young when Jeffs was arrested, and as a European this story hasn’t crossed my path before. The build up in this docu-series is done in a smart way. It starts of absurd, as any religious fanaticism is to me. But you really get to understand how this happens to children born into this. It just gets more maddening and sickening, with the worst at the end. I was left shedding tears in anger of how this suffering exists in this world.”
Warren Jeffs is serving a life sentence (Image: Netflix)
Another called Jeffs “the devil himself”, while someone else said: “This documentary is absolutely eye opening and sad in so many ways. It actually makes you mad that guys like this can acquire so much power and how he took advantage of so many people. It’s definitely worth watching but get ready to be shocked that this kind of crap goes on in our country.”
Several others called Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey “hard to watch”, while another said it was “disturbingly disgusting”.
One person called it “a gut-wrenching story,” while someone else said it was “incredibly insane and sad”.
Someone else said: “My dear God, I am utterly shaken,” adding: “It is heartbreaking to watch this, you will find it hard to believe what brainwashing can do to a person’s mind. Thousands of individuals who are like robots with twisted minds. I am utterly shocked.”
Director Rachel Dretzin previously told Netflix’s You Can’t Make This Up podcast about prioritising the victims and survivors being able to tell their stories for the first time.
“Our focus [is] not only on the experience of being in that cult,” she said. “It’s on the people, particularly the women who managed to defy it and escape it, which — if you know anything about the FLDS — is a pretty miraculous and incredible thing to do.”
“When we started working on this documentary, I didn’t know how we were going to visualize what happened, because these people weren’t allowed cellphones or allowed to go on the internet,” she went on. “As it turned out, people did film… [there was] a treasure trove of archival footage from inside the FLDS [that] just existed in people’s phones and computers.”
She added that the documentation is what sealed Jeffs’ conviction at his trial, revealing: “Every crime he committed, he recorded on tape, or audio or journals.”
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is available to watch on Netflix.