Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke

What is perfection if not a lie?

This question lingers in the air from the very first moments of Devil in the Family, a gripping and unsettling documentary by director Olly Lambert. 

As the film opens, the visuals recall the artificial reality of "The Truman Show," layered with the eerie claustrophobia of "Vivarium." At first, I thought this comparison might be a stretch - after all, this was a real-life story, not a surreal horror film...Or so I believed.

Then, the local therapist (Brannon Patrick) enters the frame, describing an idyllic, almost heavenly place - one of the safest, happiest communities in the world. But how many times does he say the word “but”? I lost count...

Because there’s always a "but" lurking behind the picture-perfect facade of social media. And here begins the harrowing descent into the life of Ruby Franke.

If you, like me, have never followed the so-called “family vlogging world," or going on to it completely blind, this story will hit like a freight train. I’ve never had an interest in family content on social media - no offence to those who do, but as someone who is happily child-free, I’ve always found those channels deeply unsettling.

There’s something artificial about them, a polished version of reality that never quite feels right. "Devil in the Family" confirms that, in some cases, artificiality conceals something far worse than simple curated perfection.

The documentary meticulously charts the rise and catastrophic downfall of Ruby Franke, once a well-known vlogger behind “8 Passengers,” a YouTube channel where she documented life as a devoted Mormon mother raising six children.

For years, millions tuned in to watch her strict, no-nonsense approach to parenting, wrapped in the comforting glow of faith and family values. But beneath the wholesome exterior, something far more sinister was brewing.

In August 2023, the illusion shattered when her 12-year-old son escaped from a home belonging to Jodi Hildebrandt, a so-called therapist and Franke’s business partner. He was malnourished, covered in open wounds, and begging for help. What followed was a shocking police investigation that unearthed months of systematic child abuse. 

Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested, exposing a toxic cycle of control, manipulation, and cruelty disguised as “tough love.”

What "Devil in the Family" does so well is not just recounting the facts but pulling back the curtain on a disturbing dynamic that went unnoticed for years. Franke wasn’t acting alone - Hildebrandt, the woman who initially entered the Franke household as a counsellor, slowly became a puppet master, wielding her influence under the guise of faith-based self-improvement.

The documentary lays out how Connexions, Hildebrandt’s counselling business, wasn’t just about therapy - it was about indoctrination. It started as a strict moral code and escalated into something eerily cult-like. As Ruby’s obsession with discipline grew, so did the extremity of her punishments. 

Her husband, Kevin, was reportedly forced into weekly “men’s groups,” while her children were subjected to starvation, isolation, and emotional torment.

And then, the film takes an even darker turn - hints of something beyond just fundamentalist extremism. There are whispers of satanic influences, unsettling religious overtones, and an undercurrent of ritualistic control that make the final act of the documentary feel less like a true crime exposé and more like a descent into Hereditary-level horror.

What makes "Devil in the Family" so powerful is its ability to balance shock with substance. It doesn’t just exploit the horror of the case; it forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about the nature of social media, the cult of online influence, and the disturbing ease with which people accept harmful behaviour when it’s dressed in the right aesthetic.

For those unfamiliar with Ruby Franke’s story, this documentary will be a jaw-dropping experience. Even if you think you know what happened, Lambert’s direction ensures that the full weight of the events settles in slowly, suffocatingly, as layer after layer of deceit is pulled back.

"Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, is a reminder that perfection is often a performance - and sometimes, the most terrifying monsters are the ones smiling at us through a screen.