When you send your kids off to college, you worry about the normal things: Will they eat anything besides candy and french fries for the next four years? Was that a beer bong you saw the last time you Facetimed? What most parents don’t think of is if their child could be taken in by a con man turned cult leader. Unfortunately for the group of friends featured in Stolen Youth, Larry Ray found them to be easy marks.
After release from prison, Ray moved in with his daughter Talia and her group of friends who all attended Sarah Lawrence. While it may seem strange to have someone’s dad sleeping on the couch, the kids soon took a liking to Larry and his paternal advice. As soon as he had them in his trap, he became a master manipulator and had this group of young minds turning their backs on their families, convincing them they had been poisoned and waging psychological warfare on the students.
This docuseries interviews the group that was under Larry’s spell, recounting the horrors that Larry put them through and the aftereffects they still live with. If cults and narcissistic personality disorder and master manipulation fascinate you, this series will prove to be a hit. It’s engrossing. (three approximately one-hour episodes)
—Anna Starkey
This article appears in Dec 14-24, 2023.