Utahns will get an early chance to see the new thriller “Heretic” this weekend — and, like the Latter-day Saint missionaries held captive in the film, moviegoers will have to choose one of two doors to enter.
The movie’s distributor, A24, announced this week that it will hold a pair of advanced screenings, Saturday at 7 p.m., at the Cinemark Century 16, 125 E. 3300 South, South Salt Lake.
One screening will be hosted by Whitney Rose, a cast member on “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.” The other will be hosted by Whitney Leavitt, from Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
The screenings are invitation-only, a representative for A24 said Thursday, though a limited number of standby seats may be available, on a first-come, first-served basis. The representative said fans also are welcome to go to the theater “to catch a glimpse of the Whitneys.”
(A24) Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher, left) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), two missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are two of the main characters in the psychological thriller "Heretic," written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. The movie opens in theaters nationwide on Nov. 8, 2024.
In the movie, Hugh Grant plays Mr. Reed, who welcomes two missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into his home. As they talk, the missionaries, played by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, quickly realize that Reed is playing a dangerous game centered on religion and faith.
At a pivotal moment, Reed offers the missionaries a choice between two doors, marked “belief” and “disbelief,” that could have deadly consequences.
In its announcement, A24 wrote that “in the film, Hugh Grant’s character suggests ‘It’s a simple choice, but it should not be made simply.’ In that spirit, upon arriving, fans will be challenged to test their faith by choosing between two theaters — and two Whitneys.”
A24 has done a few unorthodox promotions for “Heretic” in the run-up to the movie’s nationwide release Nov. 8. Ads for the movie, made to look like missing-persons posters with photos of Thatcher and East, appeared at the Salt Lake City International Airport. According to the Hollywood trade paper Variety, the studio plans to pipe in the scent of blueberry pie in some theaters during one crucial scene.
The movie has drawn attention since its first trailer debuted in June, with talk mounting after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The marketing campaign has prompted Latter-day Saints to recall their own scary missionary experiences.
Doug Andersen, a spokesperson for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a statement released Wednesday night, lamented that the movie portrays graphic violence toward women. “Any narrative that promotes violence against women because of their faith or undermines the contributions of volunteers,” he said, “runs counter to the safety and well-being of our communities.”
