Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown ending explained: What happened to the people of Jonestown?

Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown is a three-part documentary series streaming on platforms like Hulu and Disney+, created by National Geographic. It revolves around the true story of a People's Temple preacher named Jim Jones and a cult town he formed in Guyana called Jonestown.

The docuseries explores how Jones used faith to influence people to move to Guyana. He eventually staged a mass suicide ritual when US government authorities discovered the brutalities inflicted on the people who moved to Jonestown. The documentary ends with the chilling reveal of the massacre of around 900 people and the stories of the few survivors who escaped.

The official summary for Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown reads:

"Exploring an idealistic religious movement led by Jim Jones, its utopian community in Guyana spiraled into a mass casualty event leaving 918 dead. Told through survivors, it immerses in the final hours preceding this dark chapter."

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What did Jim Jones do in Jonestown?

A still of the Jonestown victims' mass graves in Oakland California from Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown (via Hulu)

Jim Jones was a pastor at the People's Temple Church. He also had various political connections with American senators and popular figures across the country. The documentary Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown shows how people went to his church to attend his charismatic sermons.

Jones convinced many of his followers to accompany him to Guyana, where they built their supposed paradise and named it Jonestown. It was only later that authorities discovered how these willing followers were mistreated, overworked and harassed in the new "paradise".

Congressman Leo Ryan visited Jonestown in November 1978, much to Jim Jones' reluctance and anger. Many of the townspeople passed him and his media team notes, asking for help and a means of escape. Senator Ryan took a group of these people with him while returning, but they didn't make it out of Guyana.

Jim Jones had the senator and his team assassinated, other than a few survivors. He then staged a mass suicide ritual with a drink called Flavour-Aid that his supporters spiked with cyanide.

The citizens of Jonestown were forced to drink this concoction, and the whole event was recorded as an audio file on tape. A total of 918 people were cruelly massacred in Jonestown with the order of Jim Jones, who also shot himself at the scene of his crime.

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What did the survivors say at the end of Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown?

A still from Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown (via Hulu)

The end of the documentary explores the lives and statements of the survivors who returned from Jonestown.

One of them was Jackie Speier, who had accompanied Congressman Ryan and was able to shelter herself from the assassination. A few citizens of Jonestown were also able to escape in the days before the political retinue arrived. Additionally, Jim Jones' son Stephan was away at a basketball game when the massacre took place, which saved him from the tragedy.

The Jonestown survivors were essentially the narrators of Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown, giving insight into how the town operated and inflicted torture. Stephan was also able to provide key details about his father's psychotic mental state and delusions of power.

At the end of the documentary, the survivors shared how they tried to live their lives one day at a time. They mention visiting the mass graves of the Jonestown victims in Oakland, California. The survivors still feel the burden and guilt of Jonestown as much as the trauma, but they try to pay respects to their loved ones who died.

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Audiences can watch Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown streaming on platforms like Hulu and Disney+ Hotstar.