Heretic (film)

Heretic is a 2024 film about two young religious women who are drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse in the house of a strange man.

Directed and written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.

• So when I started studying theology, the last thing I wanted to do was find…the Wendy’s of religions. I was just writing a research paper for a college class, and I was content with dabbling. So, some McNuggets here, BK Whopper over there, whatever fit the mood. As I studied the genres, McD, BK, InNOut, i.e., Mormonism, Scientology, Islam, Buddhism, as I got closer to God through genre and rigorous study, as I worked on my personal relationship with Heavenly Father, and I think strengthened it, do you know what I found? The more you know, the less you know. And by the time I was 50, I was malnourished from the fast food of religion I’d been packing into my brain for the best part of a decade. Every sect, cult, creed, denomination all claimed to be the one, true doctrine, and yet none seemed true when held under the microscope. So I wondered what else was out there. I promise you, the last thing I wanted to do was find the one true religion. But unfortunately, I did.

• I’m talking to you about iterations. I need you to have a very basic understanding of iterating, because I’m going to make a very disturbing claim tonight. It will make your stomachs sink a little and your hearts beat faster. It will make you sick. It may even… I’m very sorry… make you want to… to die.

• When I die, I want to come back as a butterfly, just to follow around the people I love. I'll land right on their hand. Not their arm, not their... their head, right on their fingertip, so they know it's me.

• From now on, if he lands a philosophical point that we don’t agree with, we challenge him. We make him think. He doesn’t have to steamroll us. We might not be a physical threat, but we can be an intellectual one.

• [to Mr. Reed] Praying…doesn’t work. Have you ever heard of the Great Prayer Experiment? They divided patients into groups. Those who received prayers and those who didn’t. The results of the study were conclusive. It doesn’t work. But I think it’s beautiful that we all pray for each other…even though we all probably know it doesn’t make a difference. It’s just nice to think about someone other than yourself. Even if it’s you.

Mr. Reed: I want to ask an awkward, uh, an icky question, an insensitive question that I think will add depth to our conversation very quickly before the sun goes down and we’re done for the evening. But only if you’re comfortable with that.

Sister Barnes: Well, we won’t know if we’re comfortable until you ask, so…

Mr. Reed: Fair point.

Sister Barnes: Maybe you just ask?

Mr. Reed: Okay. [clicks tongue]

Sister Paxton: If you don’t ask, I’m gonna leave here wondering what we missed out on.

Mr. Reed: Very well. My question is this. Um… [sighs] Now I feel it’s been built up to. Uh… Should I request a drum roll? I’m going to request a drum roll. A drum roll please, ladies!

[Sister Paxton gives a drumroll on her legs]

Mr. Reed: [laughs] Keep going! Keep going! Keep going! More! More! More! Now, I… I… I… my question is, how do you feel about polygamy? How do you… how do you feel about the concept of a man having multiple wives?

Sister Paxton: I mean, it’s… it’s not for me, um…

Sister Barnes: Are you asking from a biblical perspective?

Mr. Reed: Uh, Mormonism has a controversial history with the misogynist practice of men claiming multiple wives. But I am fascinated by the idea of Modern Revelation, which was used to erase this behavior from the church in 1890. I just think that’s worthy of conversation.

Sister Barnes: Yeah? Uh…

Mr. Reed: And what I mean by that is that we’re discussing a church that decided that a controversial practice was a stain on its reputation, and an actual hindrance to recruiting new members, and so it used revelation, word of God told unto the prophet to banish a provocative religious pillar that seemed unsavory in contemporary times.

Sister Barnes: Yeah, I know that, um, it may be difficult to understand, um, but, uh, polygamy was a spiritual mission needed at the time in order to grow the ranks of our membership in the wake of much hardship and bloodshed. Um… a man having plural wives meant more… more babies to help the community grow.

Mr. Reed: Hmm.

Sister Paxton: It’s, yeah, it’s sketchy for sure, to our modern brains.

Sister Barnes: And it was…it was removed from the church not just because it was grotesque or controversial, but just because it wasn’t necessary anymore.

Mr. Reed: You see, I worry, and…forgive my loud language, uh, I worry that Joseph Smith used the concept of polygamy to legitimize his affairs with other women. I worry that Joseph’s wife, Emma Smith, was upset when he slept with Fanny Alger, their sixteen year old maid. I worry that he formulated a plan to use revelation for consequence-free sex in the aftermath of that indiscretion and others like it. You know, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Sister Paxton: Spiderman.

Mr. Reed: Voltaire.

Sister Paxton: Right.

Mr. Reed: I guess what I would pose to the room is my concern that polygamy has no spiritual bearing whatsoever. That is somewhat of a distortion, I think… The church’s own history corroborates and implies this...cynical brainwashing tactic. Is that true?

Sister Barnes: I… I… I’m sorry, I… I’m not sure where you’re getting this.

Mr. Reed: If revelation by God is filtered through man and man is flawed and man sins and man lies, then how do we know any of it’s true?

Sister Paxton: We know it’s true because of how it makes us feel.

Mr. Reed: Bingo! [chuckles] That’s exactly right! That’s exactly right. Couldn’t agree more. It’s our personal relationship with God which matters.

Sister Paxton: So… so we just, uh, need your help with the door. Um…It’s…it’s a little tricky.

Mr. Reed: I’m sorry?

Sister Paxton: I think your door is a bit stuck out there.

Mr. Reed: The door won’t open.

Sister Paxton: The front door.

Mr. Reed: Yeah, the front door won’t open again.

Sister Paxton: It opened when we came in. [chuckles nervously]

Mr. Reed: Yeah.

Sister Paxton: Maybe if you unlock it, it will open?

Mr. Reed: No, no, I… I… I understand what you’re asking me, but, uh, the deadbolts are on a timer. I got carried away with our conversation, I didn’t realize the brace had been set. I should have pulled the pin when you came in, but I forgot. So if you are now regrettably ready to leave, you’ll have to exit through the back of my house.

Sister Paxton: Uh, where?

Mr. Reed: Just through here.

Sister Barnes: Well, can you just unlock the front one, please? We would like to go that way. Just so we don’t get turned around and confused when we get outside.

Mr. Reed: Yeah, it won’t open again ’til morning.

Mr. Reed: I am self aware enough to know how this might look. Older man, two young women in his house, but I assure you, you are welcome to leave through…through the back. You saw my house from the outside, right?

Sister Barnes: Mmhmm.

Mr. Reed: Right! So, you know it’s a tiny footprint. The back of the house is just there. Yeah. Anyway, I will leave you space to make your decision freely. Yeah. To clarify, I am trying…have been trying very hard to make it a point not to pressure you, so you shouldn’t even feel the need to fabricate a story about someone from your ward calling you to leave. It’s… perfectly fine. Leave when you want.

Sister Barnes: It wasn’t an excuse, they do need us back.

Mr. Reed: No, I know, but you’re saying you took a call with someone from your ward.

Sister Paxton: Yeah, a moment ago. But when you came inside, I asked if you were okay with the metal in the walls and ceilings.

Sister Paxton: What do you mean?

Mr. Reed: I mean that the metal obstructs cell phone signals, so I do know you didn’t take a call. But… [chuckles] Just to be clear, so you’re comfortable, it is totally fine for you to leave on your own accord. You never need to feel like you have to…make excuses or… or tell me little…little… little white lies.

Sister Barnes: So which door takes us outside?

Mr. Reed: Pff. Well… [chuckles] do you have a preference?

Sister Barnes: Wh… why would I have a preference?

Sister Paxton: Should we have a preference?

Mr. Reed: That is a fair question.

Sister Barnes: Not to be completely weird, but can your wife please just step in the room, say hello and walk us to the back of the house? I’m not trying to be silly, I promise, I’m really not, but there are rules we follow, and we were upfront with them.

Mr. Reed: I will ask. [turns back] Can I ask you a question first? Do you…still believe that my wife is in the next room? Despite all the evidence to the contrary, the scented candle, the absence of an oven with blueberry pie? Or have you been politely indulging a lie? If you still believe that she’s in there, I’ll go ask, but it’s something I want you to think about and maybe think about in the context of your beliefs. Do you believe in God because somebody told you at an impressionable age that God is real, despite having doubts as you got older, despite…seeing evidence to the contrary your whole lives? When your father lost control of his body, did you think it was God’s plan to ruin his life? Or did you go on believing something that you know is not true just to give you comfort because you were afraid of what it might mean if it was all a lie? I put the scented candle on the table because I wanted you to think about the things that you believe just because somebody asked you to believe them.

Sister Barnes: I think that you can tell that we’re regrettably uncomfortable with this situation here tonight.

Mr. Reed: I’m sorry, but didn’t you just say a moment ago that you saw the outside of my house? So then you clearly saw…that the back of my house overhangs a hill, so you would know that you have to go down…in order to go out.

Sister Barnes: I think it would be best for you and for all of us if you could help us go home because the Stake President, he knows where we are. And the Ward Missionaries know. And they’ll be expecting us.

sister Paxton: And there were witnesses, weren’t there, Sister Barnes? On our way here, we passed a police officer?

Mr. Reed: Whoa! The police? [chuckles] I promise you, you’re getting way, way, way, way too worked up.

Sister Barnes: Right. But I think that we’re scared because you lied to us earlier.

Mr. Reed: Do you want me to help? You asked me earlier if you should have a preference between the doors. I think you should. I think it’s something you should consider very carefully, and then make the right decision. Do you want me to help you?

sister Barnes: Yes.

Mr. Reed: Okay. Then, please… come and stand here. Both of you come. Just here. That’s it. It’s a simple choice. But it should not be made simply. I need you to reflect very, very deeply and then make a sincere decision.

Mr. Reed: You are, are you not, monotheistic?

sister Barnes: We believe in Heavenly Father, yes.

Mr. Reed: Okay. There are three major monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I call them, “The Big Three.” Judaism, i.e. “The Original Edition.” Christianity, i.e. “The Most Popular Edition,” and Islam, “The Newer, Second Most Popular Edition.” May I see your Book of Mormon, please? I’ll give it back.

[Sister Paxton hands him the book]

Mr. Reed: Thank you. And finally, after 800 years, this! Mormonism, i.e. “The zany regional spinoff edition.” These are all iterations of the same source material. These texts share many of the same characters and histories albeit presented with different meanings and perspectives. So no, I will not accept… [chuckles] …that you stand there and tell me that you’ve never heard "The Air That I Breathe by The Hollies, when I know that you have heard "Creep" by Radiohead.

Mr. Reed: Iterations. Over time. Diluting the message. Obscuring the original. Judaism is the OG monotheistic religion. It should, by a wide margin, have the most number of practicing members. And yet, it makes up only 0.2% of the world’s population. Why is that? Why is the original less popular than the iteration? Is it any less true than the others?

Sister Barnes: Are we talking about religion or board games or music?

Mr. Reed: Yes. It has the fewest members because it doesn’t advertise. It doesn’t have people like you, knocking on doors, selling people a better life, a better board game, a better song. You ever think about that? How missionaries are really just salespeople for an organization? The product you’re selling is an idea. You knock on my door and you sell, maybe I buy, maybe I don’t buy. Those are the rules of engagement when I invite you into my house. We are negotiating a transaction of ideologies. And what I’m trying to say to you tonight is that I have an idea which I would like to sell to you. [pause] My argument is that the holy texts which we revere are just mythological iterations of stories which ancient people have been telling each other for centuries. They’re not true or real in any literal sense. They are merely a conduit to a more ancient truth. The story of a savior… who was born to a virgin, who could perform miracles and was supernaturally resurrected, was a very popular story for at least a thousand years before Jesus was born.

Mr. Reed: It is all terrifying, isn’t it? I’m sorry. It is. It is all…Scary. I’m scared. I’m scared just saying it out loud, really. If God is real, and he watches when we masturbate, and he has such a fragile ego that he only helps us when we beg him and shower him with praise, and he hates gay people for being what he made them to be, well, that’s terrifying. If there’s no God and we’re just horny, microscopic ants floating on a rock through space with no divine purpose and no hope to achieve eternal life, well… that’s terrifying too. “Either the church is true or it is a fraud. It is the church and kingdom of God, or it is nothing.” Do you agree with that? Would it help if I told you this is Gordon B. Hinckley, the 15th President of your church. Do you agree with Gordon?

Sister Paxton: Yes.

Sister Barnes: Mmhmm.

Mr. Reed: Thought you might. So either it is all true or none of it’s true, yes?

Sister Paxton: Yes.

Sister Barnes: Mmhmm.

Mr. Reed: Okay. Then I want you to choose which door to go through based on your faith.

Sister Barnes: Are…are you asking us for us to deliberate our belief in the church? Is that a factor which will correspond to us going home?

Mr. Reed: I’m asking you to choose between belief and disbelief. My own claim is that all 10,000 verifiable religions that exist in the world today are as artificial as the symbolic church you are currently standing in. It is farce. There is nothing holy here. Your religious text is mere ornament… [tosses The Book of Mormon] …as hollow and as capitalistic as these ridiculous games.

Sister Barnes: It doesn’t matter what you say to him. He’s not gonna let us go just because we admit he’s right.

Sister Paxton: Let’s just get out of here while our host is being gracious enough to let us leave.

Sister Barnes: I think that we’re being studied. I think he wants to learn something about us based on which door we open. Is that the game? Someone scratches their neck, and he’s watching. We say the wrong thing, and he stumbles on his words. A candle flame flickers, and it captures his attention. What have you been looking for? What have you found? If I’m right, then the only thing that matters right now is what we actually believe. And because I think your rhetoric is thin, and your garage sale board game metaphor is kind of offensive. I mean, you asked why Judaism only makes up 0.2% of the world’s population but didn’t even pause for the Holocaust. You make no acknowledgement of the religious persecution Jewish people have faced. You just use it as a setup to a punchline about missionaries. And then, you skip over the fact that none of this addresses Islam, as Muslims don’t even believe Christ was resurrected. And then, you point out all the similarities these mythological gods have with Jesus, but breeze over the many glaring differences! One of these guys has a freaking bird head! I don’t think… that my point of view…fits into belief or disbelief. I think there’s an entire spectrum that your game is neglecting. So it doesn’t matter what I believe, does it? Sister Paxton, do you still believe in God?

Sister Paxton: Yes.

Sister Barnes: Then let’s leave through here. Let’s be honest and sincere and let God decide what happens next for us.

Mr. Reed: There will be before you saw a woman die and come back to life, and there will be after. Books will be written about it. So choose your words very carefully when I ask, what did you witness? Tell me. Tell me what you saw.

Sister Paxton: How did she…

Mr. Reed: I don’t know… And if you didn’t see something transcendental, you absolutely must tell me.

Sister Paxton: I don’t know.

Mr. Reed: ‘Cause if I’m wrong, I need to hear it. That’s why you’re here.

Sister Barnes: It’s a contrived experiment. We are your prisoners! It doesn’t make sense…

Mr. Reed: Oh, pooh! We’re all prisoners together.

Sister Barnes: …for us to have an opinion!

Mr. Reed: You must know by now that any of us can leave whenever we want, but why would we want, after what we’ve seen?

Sister Paxton: I saw it. I saw it. I heard her describe what she experienced on the other side.

Mr. Reed: Great! What did you hear?

Sister Paxton: She said there was a conductor.

Mr. Reed: Yes. Yeah.

Sister Paxton: Did she mean angel? She had a feeling of disassociation, a feeling that something wasn’t real.

Mr. Reed: That’s it. So now you know.

Sister Paxton: Now, we know?

Mr. Reed: Yeah, now, you know.

Sister Paxton: Know?

Mr. Reed: I can show you God. If you’re willing to die. It… it can be painless. It can be temporary. Like the Prophet, you can be brought back. It doesn’t have to be frightening at all. I’ll tell you… I’ll tell you what’s frightening. Not knowing is frightening! Where do we come from? What are we doing here? What’s our purpose? The terror of those questions is why religions exist. I can answer those questions for you. I can give you a comfort no religion in the world is capable of giving you.

Sister Barnes: It all makes sense now. I’ve been asking myself all night, how is he gonna make killing us our idea?

Mr. Reed: Why would you do that?

Sister Paxton: Because I want to know the truth, and because the only way out is through.

Mr. Reed: Robert Frost?

Sister Paxton: Swamp Thing.

Sister Paxton: You returned the bike key to the wrong coat pocket. We thought this was a mistake you made...But now I know it wasn’t.

Mr. Reed: Why?

Sister Paxton: You gave the bike lock to one of your prophets, instructed them to lock the final cellar door with it.

Mr. Reed: But why, why, why? Why did I do that?

sister Paxton: Because you wanted me to know the only reason I’m standing here right now is because it is exactly where you want me to be standing. I’m not here because I chose to be. I’m here because you made me choose to be.

Mr. Reed: Oh.

Sister Paxton: Because you want me to believe the one, true religion is…control.

Mr. Reed: That is exactly right. Religion is just a system of control…

Sister Paxton: [to one of the women in a cage] It’s okay. I’ll help you.

Mr. Reed: No, you see, that’s what’s so interesting. They don’t want your help. They… [chuckles] they are exactly where they chose to be.

Sister Paxton: But you killed that woman.

Mr. Reed: I disagree. She… She chose to eat a poisoned pie because of her profound faith. It is called drinking the… anyone? KoolAid. It is true… that I keep these ladies a little chilly, and a little peckish, for which I am very sorry. Sorry, ladies. But only for the same reason that your church goes to Haiti to give out Bibles after a hurricane. It’s easier to control someone who has lost…everything.

...

Sister Paxton: Why do you do this?

Mr. Reed: The question is, why do you all let me? You are here because the ideas of others have influenced every single decision you’ve made since the day you were born, and I’ve been able to predict every decision you would make tonight because of that. You have allowed them to dictate every decision of your life. They decide who you worship, where you worship, what you worship.

• Hugh Grant - Mr. Reed
• Sophie Thatcher - Sister Barnes
• Chloe East - Sister Paxton
• Topher Grace - Elder Kennedy

• Heretic quotes at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website