Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke – A Hulu Documentary Exposing the Dark Side of Online Family Fame

Introduction
This week’s review turns to Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, a three-part Hulu documentary examining the highly publicized abuse of six children in Utah by their YouTube-influencer mother, Ruby Franke, and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt. Directed by Olly Lambert, the series investigates the intersection of social media fame, strict religious beliefs, and severe child abuse. Unlike typical true-crime productions, it incorporates first-hand accounts, unreleased home footage, and interviews with family members to provide a nuanced and disturbing portrait of control and manipulation.

Overview of the Incident
Ruby Franke, a former family vlogger, ran the now-defunct YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which chronicled her Mormon family life in Springville, Utah. The channel became a lucrative enterprise, reportedly earning $100,000 per month at its peak. Behind the curated videos, however, Franke exercised extreme control over her six children, subjecting them to emotional, physical, and psychological abuse.

The documentary opens with harrowing doorbell-camera footage showing a 12-year-old boy, one of Franke’s children, seeking help at a neighbour’s house after escaping his home. The footage immediately establishes the severity of the abuse and neglect, highlighting the failure of both familial oversight and public scrutiny in detecting the children’s suffering.

The Role of Social Media and Fame
A major theme throughout the series is the interplay between social media performance and child exploitation. The children were pressured to maintain a cheerful, performative persona for the camera, with Franke dictating their emotions and expressions. Unreleased footage shows Ruby berating her children for not “being excited” on camera and even offering financial incentives to enforce compliance. The contrast between the polished, lighthearted YouTube content and the cruelty behind the scenes underscores the deceptive nature of online family branding.

Key Figures and Backgrounds
The documentary features interviews with Franke’s eldest children, Shari and Chad, and her husband, Kevin. Shari reflects on the long-term psychological impact and manipulative environment created by her mother, while Kevin provides insight into his own conflicted involvement and eventual divorce proceedings. Jodi Hildebrandt, a therapist and business partner with cult-like tendencies, is shown to have reinforced Ruby’s authoritarian control, introducing apocalyptic religious beliefs, demonic possession, and coercive practices into the household.

The Documentary
Olly Lambert structures the series chronologically, beginning with the rise of 8 Passengers in 2015 and culminating in Franke’s arrest and sentencing. The filmmakers had access to thousands of hours of home footage, revealing both on- and off-camera behavior. The documentary does not rely on sensationalism; instead, it methodically uncovers the extent of the abuse, the role of social media in facilitating it, and the cultural and religious context that contributed to the children’s trauma.

The series highlights Franke’s meticulous attention to image, including studio-level lighting and video editing to maintain a façade of perfection. Yet, these controlled images mask a home environment dominated by manipulation, fear, and punishment, from the removal of bedroom privileges to verbal assaults.

Key Takeaways

• The documentary exposes how children can be harmed by adults in positions of authority, including parents, caregivers, and trusted professionals.
• It illustrates the ways online fame and performance pressures can exacerbate abuse, blurring public perception and reality.
• Ruby Franke’s partnership with Hildebrandt demonstrates the danger of external influences that reinforce coercive, cult-like behaviors within a household.
• Interviews with surviving children and the father reveal the complex family dynamics, long-term trauma, and struggles for recovery.
• The series prompts reflection on societal responsibility and the limits of public visibility in protecting our precious children.

Conclusion
Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke is a sobering exploration of child abuse in the modern age of social media and online fame. It is a difficult and unsettling watch, but one that provides crucial lessons on child protection, vigilance, and the hidden costs of curated online personas.