A notorious cult marked by extreme physical abuse and psychological control
Religion: Christianity
Founder: Roch Thériault
Founded: 1977
Ended: 1989
Location: Canada
Other Names: The Ant Hill Gang
The Ant Hill Kids was a destructive cult that operated in Canada in the late 1970s and 1980s, led by the charismatic and manipulative Roch Thériault. The group started as a small religious community but devolved into one of the most infamous cults in Canadian history, characterized by extreme psychological and physical abuse.
Roch Thériault was born in 1947 in Quebec, Canada. He initially aspired to become a priest but later drifted away from the Catholic Church. In the late 1970s, Thériault, a charismatic leader with a persuasive personality, attracted a small group of followers with his apocalyptic teachings and claims of divine vision. He initially presented himself as a healer and spiritual guide, drawing people disillusioned with traditional religious institutions.
The Ant Hill Kids commune was established in the late 1970s when Thériault and his followers moved to a remote area in Quebec. The group later relocated to a more isolated site in Ontario. The commune’s name was derived from Thériault’s analogy that his followers should work like ants for the common good. The cult’s initial beliefs combined aspects of Seventh-day Adventist doctrine with Thériault’s unique interpretations of the Bible, emphasizing the imminent end of the world and the need for communal living to achieve salvation.
As the leader of the Ant Hill Kids, Thériault exerted total control over his followers’ lives, dictating their activities, relationships, and even their diets. His rule became increasingly authoritarian and abusive over time. He claimed to receive revelations from God and used these so-called divine messages to justify his actions, including polygamy, sexual abuse, and severe punishments for those who questioned his authority or failed to meet his demands.
Thériault’s abuse of his followers was extreme and gruesome. Members of the cult were subjected to physical and psychological torture, including beatings, burnings, and mutilations. Thériault performed crude and often dangerous surgical procedures on his followers, claiming he was divinely guided. The group lived in fear and isolation, with Thériault using manipulation and indoctrination to maintain his grip on the commune.
The Ant Hill Kids’ activities remained largely unnoticed by the outside world until the late 1980s. The group’s isolation and the members’ reluctance to seek outside help allowed Thériault’s abuses to continue unchecked for years. However, the situation within the commune gradually deteriorated, leading to the death of a follower, which eventually brought the attention of authorities.
In 1989, Thériault was arrested, and the horrific extent of his abuses came to light. He was initially charged with assault and the amputation of a follower’s limb but was later convicted of murder after the discovery of a body at the commune site. Thériault was sentenced to life in prison, where he was murdered by another inmate in 2011.
image via CVLT Nation
