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Heretic, which got some church and media attention a few months back when it was in theaters, has come to HBO Max. I watched out of curiosity. It’s supposed to be in the “horror” genre but it’s not especially scary IMO and is certainly not a slasher (there is some quick minor gore). The basic premise is that two sister missionaries are lured to a man’s home and held captive. From a doctrinal/teaching standpoint the movie seems pretty accurate. The sisters go there to teach, and what they say is not out of line with church teachings. Mr. Reed (the man who lures the sisters) also has some knowledge of the church and several other religions and nothing he says is out of line either, except that his aim is to instill disbelief.* A good deal of what he says can be found here on our forums and is not inherently “anti.”
The only somewhat glaring error I found was that the elder who comes looking for the sisters is always pictured alone (no companion). It’s never stated what his relationship is (district leader, zone leader, etc.). He also appears older than our young missionaries, which makes sense since he’s played by Topher Grace. He is once shown cleaning a church building which is unlike the vast majority of church buildings, even the older buildings where I live.
From the old days when Netflix was all DVDs I have a 1-5 rating system (5 being high and movies I own and rewatch many times, 1 being movies I would not rewatch and maybe didn’t even finish). This movie is a 2.5 – I would probably rewatch it if I didn’t have to pay extra to do so. I should also note I’m not a huge fan of horror.
*What Mr. Reed says about some other ancient beliefs relating to other religions may not be totally accurate.
DarkJedi wrote:
*What Mr. Reed says about some other ancient beliefs relating to other religions may not be totally accurate.
I have yet to watch the movie. However, I have seen some apologetic responses to the basic assertion that a number of elements from the gospel stories of Jesus were copied from other heroic demi-god myths (think Hercules). As Mormons we are somewhat insulated from this sort of attack on belief because we believe that there have been several rounds of falling away or apostasy and that this could be an explanation for why there are similarities between “true” and “false” religions.
Roy wrote:
DarkJedi wrote:
*What Mr. Reed says about some other ancient beliefs relating to other religions may not be totally accurate.
I have yet to watch the movie. However, I have seen some apologetic responses to the basic assertion that a number of elements from the gospel stories of Jesus were copied from other heroic demi-god myths (think Hercules). As Mormons we are somewhat insulated from this sort of attack on belief because we believe that there have been several rounds of falling away or apostasy and that this could be an explanation for why there are similarities between “true” and “false” religions.
There are definitely some ancient stories that have similarities to the Jesus story. Mr. Reed’s point is to instill doubt in the sisters, one of which probably already has some doubts. Mr. Reed presents himself as someone who has extensively studied theology and asserts there are at least 12 such stories, including one from ancient India. I haven’t looked in depth at the idea because I don’t particularly care. There are lots of similarities to Judeo-Christianity in other ancient cultures, including things like the 10 commandments and the great flood. These things don’t shake my already severely shaken faith, but likely could affect young (or old) Mormons who have never been taught anything else or bothered to wonder or think outside the bubble.
I am interested in watching this movie. I have watched the trailer, and it’s pretty clear the two sisters are Mormon missionaries. Even when they say that can’t come into the house unless there is a female present. Not sure if this is the case for sisters, but for elders we couldn’t teach a woman alone on my mission. Looking forward to watching it. Good to know it’s not perpetually gory and I appreciate the reviews on this movie!
SD
I have now watched the movie. ***Spoiler alert***
It seems to me that Mr. Reed was attacking religion generally and that the LDS sisters just were handy standins to represent the faith community.
He does talk about polygamy and how Joseph could have used religion as a cover for being unfaithful to his wife.
He talked about “iterations” and compared Mormonism to the zany-regional iteration of Monopoly (represented by the Bob Ross version).
Mr. Reed is later revealed to have a number of women (at least 4) locked up in deplorable conditions that he asserts absolute control over. Many commenters feel that his earlier comments about polygamy was foreshadowing and that these women are Mr. Reeds wives. Pure unadulterated control has become his religion.
The ending is really interesting because it is left with multiple possible interpretations (I’ve read 3 or 4 different ones). This reminds me of something that Old Timer said once about life existing in a grey area. There is enough evidence for belief in God and a creator if you arrange that evidence in a way that it completes your narrative. Conversely, there is enough evidence for there being no intelligent design if you arrange the evidence in a way that this conclusion completes you narrative. We exist in the middle. The right answer is not obvious and whatever way that you arrange the evidence, you must minimize, explain, or dismiss evidence that contradicts your conclusion.
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