Mormons slam “sacrilegious” Heretic and recommend The Chosen instead

Heretic made its digital debut this week, and while it’s receiving high praise from viewers at home, Mormons are recommending The Chosen instead. 

The A24 movie centers on two young missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who visit the secluded home of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant). 

He’s on their list of potential converts, but when they begin their discussion about the religion, Sister Barnes and Paxton soon realize Mr. Reed has far more nefarious plans in store. 

Heretic not only raises questions about the relevance of religion in modern times, but the two missionaries are shown discussing, or even engaging in, risqué topics – sex, porn, and contraception. 

Why Heretic is facing criticism from the Mormon church

These are just a number of reasons the horror movie has faced criticism from practising Mormons as well as the church itself. 

Deseret News, the Utah-based newspaper published by a church-owned company, stated that Heretic “joins a growing line of Hollywood vehicles dismissive of what believers find sacred.”

Church spokesman Doug Andersen shared a statement with the outlet, which pointed to concern about the portrayal of missionaries’ safety.

“Like many Hollywood productions, this is a work of fiction and is not based on actual events,” he said.

“It portrays the graphically violent treatment of women, including people of faith, and those who provide volunteer service to their communities. 

“Any narrative that promotes violence against women because of their faith or undermines the contributions of volunteers runs counter to the safety and wellbeing of our communities.”

Speaking of the thousands of Mormon missionaries currently serving across the globe, Anderson added, “Our commitment is to foster a culture of respect, empowerment, and safety for all individuals.”

But it’s not just the portrayal of violence that’s got the church’s back up. 

Believers point to The Chosen instead

Ahead of Heretic’s theatrical run, the new movie placed an advertisement at Salt Lake airport, featuring Thatcher and East’s characters in a missing persons-style poster, a move Deseret News described as “disturbing.”

It also slammed the opening scenes in which the missionaries spoke “crassly about sex,” and named the “most sacrilegious moment”: when a group of non-religious women pull Sister Paxton’s skirt down to reveal her “magic underwear” (aka her temple garments). 

“Writers-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods… have nothing new to add in their attacks on religion except jokes,” added the outlet. 

While criticizing Heretic, Deseret News highlighted how some filmmakers have “succeeded in portraying religion accurately and appealing to believers,” describing The Chosen as “one of those success stories.”

For the uninitiated, Dallas Jenkins’ The Chosen is the first multi-season show based on the life of Jesus. Although Jenkins has denied it, the series has received claims it incorporates Mormon ideology in its narrative. 

The series has gone down incredibly well with believers. Before Season 4 landed on streaming, it premiered in cinemas and took The Chosen’s total box office haul to nearly $60 million worldwide.

Former Mormons praise Heretic 

A24

Despite these criticisms, Heretic has been revered worldwide, earning respective 91% and 77% Rotten Tomatoes scores from critics and audiences. 

It’s also been praised by those who grew up in the church, including Lexi Seals-Johnson, who was raised a Mormon and later founded Lost & Found Club, a group for the female and genderqueer ex-religious community in Salt Lake City.

In a conversation with the Guardian, Seals-Johnson described the portrayal of Mormon missionaries as “one of the best I’ve seen.”

“I know many women who served missions, my wife included, could not even watch the trailer because of how eerily similar the first scenes were.”

Whitney Rose, a star of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, added, “You’re sending 18-year-olds out into the world who have grown up in a bubble and shelter of Mormonism. 

“You grow up thinking one way your entire life, and at 18, all of a sudden you’re supposed to go out and figure out how to be safe and invite people into a religion.”

Rose stated that Heretic “depicted exactly what I know missions to be.”

Heretic is available to rent or buy on various on-demand platforms including Amazon Prime Video. If you’ve seen the movie, check out our breakdown of the ending. You can also take a look at the new movies coming to streaming this month and the best films of 2024.