Picture: Lifetime
Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story, a 2024 true-crime drama starring Billy Zane, will land its streaming premiere in the U.S. on Netflix in September 2025 following its network premiere in mid-2024. Inspired by real events, the film dramatizes the disturbing real-life saga of Larry Ray.
Shot in Vancouver between April and May 2024 and premiering on Lifetime just a month later on June 23rd, 2024, the film stars Billy Zane as Larry Ray, with Elisabeth Röhm (Law & Order) directing. Röhm was deeply compelled to tell this story, calling it a “cautionary tale” born of empathy, driven by her personal connection to the campus and the survivors’ experiences.
The plot focuses on Larry Ray, played by Billy Zane (Titanic, The Phantom, The Believer), an ex-convict, who unexpectedly moves into his daughter’s dorm. He enthralls her friends with conversations and promises to help them with personal transformations by preying on their insecurities and fears. Under Ray’s influence, the students uncover false memories of childhood trauma that Ray used to further alienate them from their families. As the students continued to fall under Ray’s control, he began to target their friends and family, extending his reach of emotional, financial, sexual abuse and mental manipulation. As the students got pulled deeper into the cult, Ray’s control moved from emotional and mental to sexual as well, creating a web of lies and deceit.
Rounding out the cast of the movie include:
- Tedra Rogers (Cruel Summer) as Claudia Drury
- Frankie Warren (Alaska Daily) as Isabella
- Miles Merry (Netflix’s Untamed) as Dan
- Matthew Kevin Anderson (Never Let Go) as Tom
- Michael Karl Richards (Chesapeake Shores) as David
- Rhona Rees (FREYA) as Agent Maguire
- Brenda Matthews (Fire Country) as Ingrid Ray
As mentioned, the film premiered on Lifetime, but since then, it has only been available on VOD platforms. It arrives on Netflix in the US for a limited period beginning September 1st, 2025. The movie has a runtime of 1 hour and 26 minutes and picked up mixed review upon its release with it currently carrying a 5.2 on IMDb.
Picture: Lifetime / Ryan Plummer
For additional reading on the movie, we’d recommend the New York Magazine piece Larry Ray and the Stolen Kids of Sarah Lawrence, which provides an in-depth look at his exploits. IndieWire also has a superb rundown of the film itself.
For the complete list of what’s coming up on Netflix in the US throughout September 2025, keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix.
