Why the Mormon Church Said Horror Movie ‘Heretic’ Is Dangerous

The new horror movie Heretic is about the thorny subject of Mormon missionaries. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued a statement on the film. The church’s issues with the film were not purely religious.

The Mormon Church said ‘Heretic’ attacks the ‘wellbeing of our communities’

Heretic is about a pair of Mormon missionaries who come to speak to a reclusive man named Mr. Reed (played by Hugh Grant). He appears genuinely interested in converting to the missionaries’ religion, but things are not as they seem. It turns out that Reed has an anti-religious agenda and has lured the missionaries into an intricately designed death trap. The proceedings involve twists, turns, disgusting violence, and a lot of New Atheist talking points.

In 2024, Deseret News published a statement from Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spokesman Doug Andersen responding to Heretic. “Like many Hollywood productions, this is a work of fiction and is not based on actual events,” Andersen 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.”

Andersen framed his issues with Heretic as extending beyond the Mormon community. “Our commitment is to foster a culture of respect, empowerment, and safety for all individuals,” he said. This controversy is part of a long history of public figures claiming horror movies lead to real violence. 

Why ‘Heretic’ is mostly about 1 religion

Heretic was directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. During a 2024 interview with GQ, Beck discussed why he chose to center the film on Mormonism. “To us, it feels like it’s one of the newest religions,” he said. “You can look at Christianity or Islam, and it’s rooted in thousands of years of history, but Mormonism, it’s uniquely new, it’s uniquely American, transplanting the story of Christ and putting it in America.” In fact, Islam is 1,400 years old, not thousands of years old, but it is far older than Mormonism, which Joseph Smith founded in the 19th century. 

Woods gave fans further insight into the movie. “It also comes from a personal connection,” he explained. “Twelve years ago, we made one of our first feature films in Salt Lake City, the hotspot of Mormonism.” Since then, Woods made many lifelong Mormon friends and became familiar with the Mormon faith, culture, and lifestyle.

Is the film against Mormons?

Beck also said that Heretic was meant to subvert the way that Mormons are depicted in popular culture. In his opinion, Mormon missionaries are often seen as naive. He wanted the missionaries in Heretic to be smart, cool, and unique. It appears that this approach did not provide any solace for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

So is the film anti-Mormon? Yes, but it seems to be against all forms of religion and calls out Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism by name. Is the film going to lead to violence against missionaries? It’s possible, the same way it’s possible that any war film could inspire violence against soldiers. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if this controversy blows over without harming anyone.