BY ROGER WATSON
I briefly owned a copy of The Book of Mormon which reached me in extraordinary circumstances a few years ago while checking into the Hamilton hotel in Washington DC. “There’s a parcel for you Mr Watson”, I was told and a package containing a copy of The Book of Mormon was handed to me. A Facebook friend, and Mormon, had asked where I was staying on my vacation in the United States and had posted it. It ‘went missing’ when we moved house.
My next encounter with The Book of Mormon was seeing the hilarious and hugely offensive musical of the same name in London last year, something I reported in The New Conservative. Rather than protesting outside the theatre – something I think we Roman Catholics may have been tempted to do – they took out an advert in the programme which said: “You’ve seen the musical, now read the book.” An impressive display of religious sangfroid, in my view.
The missionaries in the musical are all male but the Church has allowed women to go out as missionaries since the 19th century. Although I have never knowingly seen one. After watching Heretic (2024), I wonder if I will ever see any. Released late last year, Heretic has been very favourably reviewed with an entirely merited score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The plot of Heretic follows two female Mormon missionaries in an American town. We briefly see them discussing existential matters and the extent to which they adhere to the message of their Church. Next, we see them being humiliated by some local girls before they start their journey to visit a man who expressed an interest in learning more about their faith. On the way a storm begins to brew, and the scene is set.
Described as both a horror and a psychological thriller, it has elements of both. It is certainly intriguing and entertaining, especially when they encounter the house owner Mr. Reed played by Hugh Grant. Having tried his hand at playing an inept villain in Paddington 2 (2017) and a gangster and geezer in The Gentlemen (2019) he returns to being the charming, bumbling Englishman in Heretic. At least on the surface.
By the time the young ladies arrive at Reed’s house the storm is raging (of course). The house is old and gothic. Locking their bicycles outside the house they summon Reed to the door. He is grateful for their visit but leaves them on the step, in the pouring rain, for an uncomfortably long time before remembering his manners and asking them in.
He asks if they would like some blueberry pie. Being females, they are obliged to have another female present and ask if there is a Mrs Reed. Reed assures them there is and goes off to summon his wife. Again, this takes an uncomfortably long time. Reed returns and says his wife will join them soon and asks if they can smell the blueberry pie.
It seems obvious there is no Mrs Reed. This becomes apparent during one of Reed’s absences from the room, ostensibly to fetch the blueberry pie, when the women realise that the smell is coming from a scented candle burning in the room.
The women are trapped in the house. They are enticed to leave the room on the pretence of meeting Mrs Reed and, despite their suspicions, follow Reed into a bizarre room full of religious artefacts. Reed begins to question their faith and the whole basis for faith. Reed is probably a Satanist who claims to be able to show them how resurrection of the dead can be achieved. What follows is grotesque and horrifying.
To reveal more would spoil others’ enjoyment of this excellent film. The dialogue is clever and the action – while slow in places – is well edited to keep you wondering what is going to happen next.
Grant is perfect for the main role as he is both charming and sinister. As a viewer you are torn between hoping he turns out to be as charming as he seems and wanting your money’s worth when his sinister side prevails.
Remarkably, the Mormons seem to have lost their sangfroid over Heretic. Seemingly, as infected with the woke mind virus as any other organisation, they have expressed “concerns about the film’s portrayal of its missionaries, particularly its portrayal of the violent treatment of women and its undermining of volunteer contributions.” They indicate, as if it were necessary, that the film is ‘fictional’.
Dearie me!
That said, I now know what to say if any female Mormon missionaries call at our door: “come in, would you like some blueberry pie?”
Roger Watson is a Registered Nurse and Editor-in-Chief of Nurse Education in Practice.