Heretic

A Horror Film About Latter-day Saint Sister Missionaries

Unofficial FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the movie Heretic?

It's a 2024 horror film distributed by the film studio A24.

What's it about?

It's about two Latter-day Saint sister missionaries that are trapped in the home of a serial killer who lectures them about how there is no God and religion is fictional.

Is the serial killer played by Hugh Grant a brilliant villain?

Not really. The film portrays him as having the intellect of a 15-year old Redditor, or at best, a college freshman that has completed an entry level philosophy class.

Who wrote the movie, and what's their relationship with Latter-day Saints?

The movie was written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods who are not Latter-day Saints but they have said the movie is "deeply personal." Julia Glausi, one of the producers of the film, is married to Bryan Woods and is a Latter-day Saint. The movie stars Hugh Grant, who says he does not believe in God and is a religious skeptic. Both women who play the sister missionaries, Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher are former Latter-day Saints.

Is the movie anti-mormon?

Sort of, but not specifically. The anti-hero of the movie, Mr. Reed, played by Hugh Grant, is deeply anti-religious and a significant amount of the movie is dedicated to him platforming atheist arguments against religion while the sister missionaries are shown to be unable to articulate a defense of their faith.

Is the movie accurate?

It's a work of fiction, but there are many mistakes it makes about how it portrays the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and its missionaries.

What are some of the inaccuracies in the movie?

Sisters Paxton and Barnes talk about condoms and pornography. This is not something sister missionaries talk about and is simply a provocative portrayal meant to shock the audience.
Mr. Reed says that Joseph Smith had an affair with a 16 year old. This is in reference to his first plural wife, Fanny Alger who was not 16, but she was about 18 or 19 years old. Joseph was in his late 20s. You can read more about it here.
Mr. Reed says that Voltaire said "with great power comes great responsibility." There is no historical record of Voltaire ever saying this, although it is popularly attributed to him.
Elder Kennedy travels alone to find Sisters Paxton and Barnes. Elders do not travel alone, they always travel with at least one other Elder.
Mr. Reed says that Mithras, a Persian God was born on December 25th of a virgin, performed miracles, and was resurrected on the 3rd day after this death. None of this is true. You can read more about Mithras on Wikipedia.
Mr. Reed says that Horus was born to a virgin mother, was baptized, walked on water, had 12 disciples, was crucified and resurrected on the 3rd day after his death. None of this is true. You can read more about Horus on Wikipedia.
Mr. Read says that Krishna was a carpenter born to a virgin mother that died and rose from the dead. None of this is true. You can read more about Krishna on Wikipedia.
Mr. Reed says that the word Christ comes from Christos or Krsta, the Greek version of the word Krishna. This is not true. "Christos" comes from the Greek verb χρῑ́ειν (chriō), meaning "to anoint". "Krishna" is derived from the Sanskrit root कृष्ण (kṛṣṇa), which means "black" or "dark".
Mr. Reed states that the Latter-day Saints send disaster relief in order to control people that have experienced misfortune. This is not true. Millions of dollars are spent every year by the church to relief efforts across the globe in the wake of disasters, asking for nothing in exchange. You can read more about that here.
Mr. Barnes corrects Sister Paxton by saying that Robert Frost said "The only way out is through," not the Swamp Thing, however this sentiment is actually originally attributed to Confucius.

What are some things that are accurate from the movie?

It's true that sister missionaries are not allowed to be in a room with a man unless there is another adult woman with them.
It's true that Lana Del Rey was sued by Radiohead for plagiarizing their song (which they themselves plagiarized from a 1972 song). Lana graciously offered 40% royalties, but they refused. Eventually they dropped the lawsuit.
It is true that the prayer study that Sister Paxton refers to is an actual study (the 1998 Templeton Prayer Study) that showed that prayer did not have a statistically measurable effect on patients. You can read more about the study, and the scientific benefits of prayer here.

Sister Barnes makes reference to "Magic Underwear". What is that?

Many religions have a concept of sacred clothing. Sikhs, Zoroastrians and Latter-day Saints wear sacred underclothing. You can read more about Latter-day Saint temple garments here.

Sister Barnes is shown to have a contraceptive implant. Are sister missionaries allowed to be on birth control?

Yes. There are many reasons a woman can be on birth control that have nothing to do with sexual activity, including menstrual regulation, treatment for polycystic ovarian syndrome, migraines, acne and other conditions.

So aside from all the errors, is Heretic a good movie?

For what it is, it's not bad. Critics have generally received it well.

Do Beck and Woods make good movies?

A Quiet Place was excellent. 65 was dissapointing.

Does A24 distribute good movies?

Mostly. Some of them are crap, but a lot of them are well written and thought provoking.