Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke

The documentary Devil in the Family: Ruby Franke does a solid job exposing the horrifying abuse that Ruby and Jodi Hildebrandt inflicted, but it drags on way longer than necessary. The rare video footage is definitely the strongest part-it really shows how deep the manipulation ran.

Kevin Franke, though? Absolute failure of a father. The man ignored every red flag, let his kids suffer, and now wants to play the clueless victim. Watching him dodge accountability is infuriating. He either knew what was happening and did nothing, or he was so willfully ignorant that it's just as bad. Either way, he failed those kids on every level.

As for Ruby and Jodi, they're master manipulators who fed off each other's delusions. The documentary highlights how they controlled and twisted everything to fit their warped ideology. It's disturbing to see how long they got away with it.

Overall, this could've been a one-episode special rather than a dragged-out series. While the story is compelling, the pacing makes it feel stretched. Still, it's an important watch for exposing the dangers of extremist parenting and blind trust in so-called "family experts."

It absolutely blows my mind that there are people like these operating in our world. They are so completely consumed by delusions and magical fantasies that they actually act in their insane and inane beliefs. In truth, they use their false deities and revelations to advance their own agendas, prejudices, and desires for more money and more power. Then they lord or over their children and their families through punishment, denial of love and affection, and outright abuse. If any of them actually attempted to live the words ascribed to their mythical savior, they would share all of their wealth and resources with the poor and needy. Yet they never do. Grow up, you ridiculous fools and con artists.

Watching the show it is blatantly obvious that Jodi and Ruby abused those kids; if you've followed the case even remotely you know that. Apparently the only person that does not know that is Kevin. The last interview of the whole show is Kevin saying that he still loves Ruby and throughout he posits that he would always pick Ruby over the children. I don't care how great your memories are with someone if you learn that they are abusive: let alone to children, YOUR children, and to such a degree that those children were abused; your perspective changes. If your perspective doesn't change that's because you knew or at least don't care. I hope none of those kids have any contact with Kevin ever again and that they finally get the support and love that their parents were supposed to provide.

Oh and Ruby and Jodi were definitely hooking up. Nothing like faking demon possession to get into your girlfriend's house and kick her husband out.

Ruby Franke is where she belongs - in jail. Why isn't Kevin? This doc wants to make him the victims too. I understand he seems very weak, and he was completely infatuated with Ruby and would have done anything to make her love him. How he allowed Jodi Hildebrandt to move in with them is a mystery. He also let his wife sleep in Jodi's bed, under the auspices of protecting Jodi from the demons that she possessed. He gets kicked out of his own home by these two nut jobs; here a man would put his foot down and fight for the kids. Not Kevin. He left. His daughter Shari tries to reach out to him, she also shunned by the mad women. What does Kevin do? Blocks her from calling him again.

Honestly this doc should have been called: "Why is this guy not in jail with the other two".

I watched this interesting crime documentary thinking in the beginning it was going to be just about Ruby being the baddie, but the more I watched it the more I got annoyed by her labile husband Kevin in this little weird 'Pleasantville' town in Utah. The fact of the matter is that he condoned everything and I was surprised he wasn't charged or held accountable for gross negligence. He wasn't brainwashed at all. He just complied with everything his wife wanted without any objection. He could've saved his kids if he had been stronger. And then in the end him saying he still loves his wife? Has the man no self respect?

It was sad to see the kids suffer at the hands of a delusional and possessed mother and conwoman Jodi. By the way, that whole town and the other people that were in this documentary gave me the creeps. Not only were they passive and naive but also weird and plastic. The only person I really like was the oldest daughter Shari. She is a strong and normal woman. I hope all the other children will grow up to be like her.

I would've preferred to see this without the husband and perhaps also the eldest son as I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth. And so I think two episodes would've sufficed...