History Main / SecretCircleofSecrets

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* ''Film/{{The Whisperer in Darkness}}'' (2011). The CthulhuMythos cult attempting to open a wormhole to the Mi-Go's planet for an AlienInvasion.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's ConanTheBarbarian novel ''Literature/TheHourOfTheDragon'', the cult of Asura is portrayed as this. While they are secretive, Conan refused to persecute them without actual crimes, and they assist him in regaining his throne. And do not, in the course of the novel, show any sign that the accusations are anything but MaliciousSlander.

* Quite a few examples in various ''ConanTheBarbarian'' works, by Robert E. Howard and other authors: Golden Peacock, Hanuman the Accursed, Set, Tsathoggus, Yama, Yezud.

* JackieChan stumbles onto one in the ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' episode "The Chan That Knew Too Much". Much of the humor in that episode comes from their deciding HeKnowsTooMuch.

* When the fans get a hold of the Black Cloak Society in ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'', they usually get this treatment. AGDInteractive's FanRemake of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestII'' has several hints that they're prepping to survive TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt - possibly the events of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestMaskOfEternity''. AGD puts another example in their version of the game by [[spoiler: having the benevolent monk]] from the original turn out to be running a [[spoiler:FurAgainstFang racket against what turns out to be the FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire]]

* The Ku Klux Klan follows this trope more than you'd expect from a real-world organization. Night-time meetings, bonfires and burning crosses, and not to mention the all-enclosing robes and masks (complete with [[ColorCodedPatrician differently-colored masks and robes]] to distinguish the leadership from the [[{{Mooks}} common members]]).
* Media portrayals of Satanism also tend to fall into this trope, especially during the "Satanic Panic" of the 1970s and '80s.

* [[http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Religion_and_the_decline_of_magic.html?id=yQwSAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y Keith Thomas]] points out that the stereotype of devil-worshippers as black-robed figures chanting in Latin in a ruined abbey originated with Tudor propaganda against the banned Catholics. Only after Catholics had ceased to be figures of fear was it applied to more obscure cults.
* Although the stereotype was deliberately taken up by the Hellfire Club, a bunch of rich 18th century thrill-seekers who were in it just for the kicks and the depravity.

* Keith Thomas [[http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Religion_and_the_decline_of_magic.html?id=yQwSAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y]] points out that the stereotype of devil-worshippers as black-robed figures chanting in Latin in a ruined abbey originated with Tudor propaganda against the banned Catholics. Only after Catholics had ceased to be figures of fear was it applied to more obscure cults.

* The Court of Owls, according to their backstory, have ruled [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} Gotham City]] from the shadows for centuries. They also feature prominently in the animated feature ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanVsRobin Batman Vs Robin.]]''

* In ''Webcomic/{{Opplopolis}}'', Tomaj Pangolin's young godson Marvin uses his [[http://www.opplopolis.com/issues/3/4 hacking/googling]] skills to determine that "[[MacGuffin marvedyne]]" has something to do with a [[http://www.opplopolis.com/issues/4/18 secret society of aristocrats]].

* The Darkfriends of Literature/TheWheelOfTime. Since they are all about helping [[GodOfEvil the Dark One]] bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt (in exchange for personal power and immortality), membership is banned on pain of death throughout the world, and their cells are even called "circles".

* In Literature/HarryPotter, Death Eaters behave this way. When they gather, they all wear uniform robes in a cult of personality of sorts for Voldemort. They wear masks as well in a FacelessGoons sort of way.

* ''Literature/FoucaultsPendulum'' is a hardcore postmodern deconstruction of this trope. In addition to numerous literary and historical references to various Secret Circles throughout the ages, two of them feature in the main plot: the first is a generally benign Druidic cult at an alchemical retreat, but the second is a full-on evil secret society [[spoiler: led by a major supporting character, Senor Aglie.]]

* The ''LitchiHikariClub'' has shades of this, especially in the opening, which depicts them from the perspective of an outsider.

** And of course, the Circle of the Black Thorn, AncientConspiracy and TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness, complete with black robes and Venetian masks.

* In ''[[Literature/VampireAcademy Shadow Kiss]]'', Mână (the Hand) was a secret society of royals who attempted to use forbidden compulsion techniques to get their way. Their initiation ritual was torturing potential members with magic until compelled to stop.

* The secret society in ''TheKingOfShredsAndPatches'' fits this bill, having ties to several high-profile figures (from noblemen to the Queen's own occultist) all in service to [[TheKingInYellow the King in Yellow]].

* The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Evil Spaghetti Cult]] from ''KingdomOfLoathing'''s Nemesis Quest, as it plays out for Pastamancers. They worship your Nemesis, an evil spaghetti elemental. There's a brief ShoutOut [[http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/A_Protestor to Project Chanology]] (which devolves into a general spoof of 4chan memes), although otherwise the cult doesn't have much in common with the ChurchOfHappyology.

* ''FoucaultsPendulum'' is a hardcore postmodern deconstruction of this trope. In addition to numerous literary and historical references to various Secret Circles throughout the ages, two of them feature in the main plot: the first is a generally benign Druidic cult at an alchemical retreat, but the second is a full-on evil secret society [[spoiler: led by a major supporting character, Senor Aglie.]]

* A '''''lot''''' of [[HammerHorror Hammer Films]] productions featured cloak-wearing demon worshippers of one stripe or another.

* The satanic cults in the works of Dennis Wheatley (mostly based on Aleister Crowley and company), plus HammerHorror versions thereof.

* The Circle of Cold Flames from the ''GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'' are an order of mystics and sorcerers dedicated to overthrowing Heaven and instituting a reign of evil over the earth (and put themselves in control over it all in the end). They go in for all the trappings: {{black cloak}}s, pentagrams, [[VirginSacrifice sacrificing virgins]] to their [[{{Satan}} demonic overlords]], and so on.

* ''CityOfHeroes'' features The Circle Of Thorns, a group that one poster to the [[CityOfHeroes COH forums]] characterized as [[DemonicSpiders "a bunch of demon-worshipping asshairs"]]. Missions where the players go against the Circle of Thorns are never popular.