Many true crime fans have heard stories of cult leaders like Charles Manson, Jim Jones and David Koresh. But Freeform and Hulu’s docuseries, How I Escaped My Cult, shifts the spotlight to the survivors of these organizations, which are often built on power, secrecy, and in many cases, abuse. The show’s producers David Karabinas and Brad Bernstein exclusively share with In Touch their thoughts on why people get involved with cults and more.

“This is what’s really interesting about a lot of the cults in general, right? You know, in the beginning, it seems like it’s always a slow burn,” Karabinas tells In Touch Investigates’ Kristin Thorne. “You know, it’s the old like frog in the boiling water thing, right? Where certain people, at first, it starts in a way that seems positive, right? It may seem like, ‘I want to do this thing.’ It’s empowering.”

However, Karabinas says that, eventually, the person in charge of the cult becomes “corrupt.”

Bernstein adds, “It’s like the notion of, if you’re looking to kind of better yourself and kind of make your lot better, the notion of, like, a group that your colleagues and people that you know are in, that’s a self help group. That’s a really appealing thing to pretty much anyone you know. You can see how it can happen. And so … once you’re in, you’re in, and like David said, that’s when the slow burn happens.”

How I Escaped My Cult takes a closer look at modern-day cults through the lens of members who “endured unspeakable trauma,” as well as the “shocking investigations into these oppressive groups,” according to the series’ synopsis. Each episode follows the journey of a survivor as they detail their experience, from joining the cult to making their “heart-pounding escape.”

One episode explores the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FDLS) and Warren Jeffs, who is currently serving a life sentence in Texas for the aggravated child sexual assault of two underage girls whom he took as brides. One of his former wives, Vicky Thompson, and their son, Wendell, tell the story of their escape from the cult in the episode.

“First off, the difference in age between Wendell and Vicky is, you know, whatever it is, it’s not very much because she was a child bride,” Karabinas says. “So, it’s like they almost look like they’re brother and sister. And it’s pretty interesting when you’re watching that. It took a long time for them to come to grips with the fact that he wasn’t who they thought he was, that he … when he was arrested, when he was on the run, all these things, like, they were still behind him.”

Bernstein adds, “Wendell, you know, in this episode, this was his dad. And so we all know what it’s like. You know how persuasive your parents are. So … I mean, this is like a god to him.”

Karabinas says that Jeffs, 69, is still “in regular touch” with many of his followers while in prison.

“He writes to them. They write to him,” he continues. “He still has followers. You know, it’s sort of the same way you see things with, like, serial killers who have these followings once they’re in prison. And again, like in the case of Warren Jeffs, he had a lot of brides. That family was really large, and not all of them turned against him.”

Karabinas says that producing How I Escaped My Cult led him to have more “empathy” for anyone who ends up in a situation like that.

“I think there was always a part of me that would think like, ‘Oh, I can’t imagine how you can ever be in this again.’ Imagine you’ve been isolated from the world, and for 20-something years, this guy has been telling you that he’s like the voice of God. He’s the reason that, in a way, he’s the purpose that you exist. Is that he’s the be-all, end-all of everything,” Karabinas notes.

He continues, “And you really don’t know anything else, you have seen nothing else, you have no reason to doubt him, because your experience, your world, has been so small.”

Bernstein says, “People hold on to their long-held beliefs. It’s hard to break that bond again, which makes the series so extraordinary. The notion that you can escape from that is really challenging.”

How I Escaped My Cult is now streaming on Hulu.