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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Next week, the movie “Heretic” will hit theaters in Utah – a horror story in which two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knock on the wrong door and are forced into a terrifying series of challenges to find their to test faith.
Prior to the film’s release, ABC4 film critic and celebrity interviewer Patrick Beatty met with director Bryan Woods and Scott Beck. The film is rated R due to the violence, which Woods said was necessary to convey the film’s story.
‘Heretic’ reviewed by a former LDS missionary
“The film had to go to certain dark places, hence the violence in the film. But I will say I’m proud that it’s true to Mormon culture,” Woods said. “There’s not a single swear word in this movie… It’s just the violence that we felt was important to the movie and the story we’re telling.”
The directors said they are surrounded by friends and family members who are members of the Church, which helped them gain insight into the religion.
“One of the recurring things that we found so fascinating about Mormon missionaries is that you are sent to a new environment,” Beck said. “You’re paired with someone you don’t know very well, and with that navigation we have a shared mission, and yet we also have to understand who each other is. That mash felt like it was kind of a perfect starting point for a discussion about religion and religion from a different point of view of everyone’s relationship to it.”
Beck talked about how each of the sister missionaries are at different points in their religious journey in the film, which explores how they are making things right – such as one of them who recently lost her father.
‘It’s not an anti-Mormon movie in any way’: Hugh Grant and cast talk ‘Heretic’
“We felt this was a unique representation of what we could do with the faith and with the story we tell,” he said.
Woods added that the actresses portraying the missionaries, Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher, had grown up in the faith, giving them real life experience to draw on to make the film as personal as possible.
“Our hope certainly wasn’t to be like – I think some of the characterizations are sensational. For us, it was always tapping into the truth we know through our community of Mormon friends, and most importantly making sure it felt authentic to their experience. “I think there are other depictions of Mormonism that seem naive or sheltered and in our experience that’s clearly not the case and we wanted to make sure it felt true to life with what we know,” Beck said.
You can check out the full review of “Heretic” under ABC4.com’s “See it or skip it” tab. “Heretic” will be released in theaters on November 8.
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