Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Disturbing docu about child abuse case; violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In EVIL INFLUENCER: THE JODI HILDEBRANDT STORY, an emaciated 11-year-old boy shows up at a neighbor's door with duct tape and wounds around his ankles and wrists. The malnourished child had escaped from a neighboring home in a wealthy Utah neighborhood. He's hungry and thirsty, and believes what his captors told him—that he deserved his punishments, that he's the "spawn of the devil" and needs to be hauled off to jail for his sins. The police come with a search warrant for the home of the boy's captor and supposed co-caretaker, therapist and "life coach" Jodi Hildebrandt. She's a popular social media influencer in the Mormon community, and has made inroads as a church-approved therapist. The boy's mom, Ruby Franke, has a popular parenting blog. She's moved in with Jodi and turned over the care of her children to her sadistic therapist and roommate. After losing her therapist license, Jodi has continued to play "life coach" to innocent Mormon couples. The police discover other victims who speak on camera, and the film features interviews with a therapist, also in the Mormon community, who has treated Jodi's former clients.
Is It Any Good?
In this disturbing documentary, the police work is far more interesting than the numerous and repetitive interviews with Jodi's broken and regretful victims. With such sensationalism built right in, it isn't necessary to dwell on the disapproval of neighbors or the appalled disappointment of former clients whose marriages were ruined by Jodi. It's riveting enough to know that at the center of the tragic story is a disturbed, unstable woman using her gift of gab to milk clients for money while enjoying the power she has to get them to obey her most destructive orders.
Watching the police make the case against her is what moves the narrative along most effectively. It's especially moving when a veteran prosecutor, himself a Mormon, fights back tears when speaking of the "horrific" abuse Jodi brought down on children in the name of God.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how religion can be used to persuade people to act unethically. What are some examples?
A Utah prosecutor says that being confused by an authority figure is no excuse for performing what is obviously a criminal act. If someone told you to handcuff a child and leave them without food and water, do you think you would recognize that order as wrong?
What does the movie say about grown-ups taking responsibility for their actions? Do you think Jodi was remorseful? Did she believe she did wrong?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : December 30, 2025
- Director : Skye Borgman
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Faith ( Christianity )
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : January 15, 2026
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