The third and final trailer for horror movie “Heretic” has been released, and it shows more of the two female Latter-day Saint missionaries at the center of the fictional thriller.
Released online Tuesday, the trailer begins with Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) approaching a house and asking the man who answers — Hugh Grant’s character, Mr. Reed — “are you interested in learning more about The Church of Jesus Christ …?”
In the trailer, Mr. Reed cuts them off with a friendly “yeah” before they finish the faith’s full name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Once inside, Mr. Reed places a large, well-indexed copy of the Book of Mormon, the faith’s signature scripture, on a coffee table. Sister Paxton seems impressed, saying, “You read more than we do.”
When Mr. Reed declares that it’s “time for enlightenment,” the mood shifts and the missionaries sense something sinister. Sister Barnes tells Mr. Reed that the women have to return to their church. Sister Paxton taps a message on her phone for Sister Barnes to read: “RUN?”
But, as the next scenes show, it’s not that simple. Mr. Reed tells them they have to choose one of two doors — one marked “belief,” the other marked “disbelief” — to leave the house. Each door leads to further challenges, which the pair must overcome or be trapped forever.
The movie is set to be released in theaters nationwide Nov. 8.
(A24) Sister Paxton (Chloe East), a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, makes a frightening discovery in the house of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), in the horror-thriller "Heretic."
The film’s distributor, A24, engaged in a viral campaign for the film last weekend, running kiosk ads at the Salt Lake City International Airport in the format of a missing-persons poster — featuring photos of East and Thatcher’s characters with the text “What happened to Paxton and Barnes?”
The movie’s title, release date and an A24 logo were the only giveaways that it was an advertisement.
The airport ads were timed to coincide with the church’s General Conference held this month.
The movie began generating attention when A24 released the first trailer June 25. The trailer prompted conversation from former Latter-day Saint missionaries, who recalled their own frightening experiences in the field.
On Sept. 19, A24 released a second trailer, featuring quotes from positive reviews from critics who saw the movie at its Toronto International Film Festival premiere.
