Cult in new true crime doc has Hyannis ties. What to know about Twelve Tribes.

A documentary about the Twelve Tribes, a controversial religious group with a community in Hyannis, is set to premiere on Investigation Discovery this week.

"People Magazine Investigates: The Secrets of the Twelve Tribes Cult" will air Monday, March 16, profiling the worldwide Christian fundamentalist movement founded in the 1970s by Gene Spriggs in Tennessee, according to People.

The group calls itself a "confederation of twelve self-governing tribes, made up of self-governing communities." Members follow the Old and New Testaments, and "live like the early disciples in Acts chapters 2 and 4," according to The Twelve Tribes website.

Investigation Discovery said the documentary will "reveal how unwavering religious practices and the weaponization of 'the fear of God' often control every aspect of life within the group." The show features "illuminating interviews with brave former insiders who found the courage to walk away," the network said.

One man being interviewed describes being told to spank children, who were in "intense pain" and "screaming and crying," according to the trailer. A woman also tells interviewers that "the leaders had told me if you do leave, I will get killed."

The widespread Twelve Tribes group has communal living locations in Milton, Plymouth and Hyannis, according to its website. The group also ran the currently-closed Common Ground Cafe on Main Street in Hyannis.

Trailer for 'People Magazine Investigates: The Secrets of the Twelve Tribes Cult'

On IMDb, the plot summary for the show says: "Gene Spriggs forms the Twelve Tribes in Tennessee with teens and disenchanted hippies; the group later gains a cult reputation and faces accusations of child abuse, forced labor, and strict devotion to what members say is God's will."

On a FAQ page on the Twelve Tribes' website, the group stated that if a member wishes to leave the organization, they are not forced to stay. It acknowledged its past controversies but encouraged those who have questions about the Twelve Tribes to contact the group directly.

"When people live closely together as in a marriage or family, sometimes they do not treat each other as they should. Our Master apparently knew such things would happen among his disciples, because He commanded them to repeatedly forgive one another," the Twelve Tribes said on its website.

"It is a fact of human relationships, however, that those who do not choose to forgive usually do not choose to remain with those they bear grudges against. It is also true that those who do not forgive find it hard to resist speaking ill of the unforgiven ones. For this reason exaggerated accounts of some of our failures to love and care have come to the attention of the press," the group continued.

The documentary will also be available to stream on HBO Max.