Paul Hayhurst

Heretic uses horror to explore religious themes, featuring Mormon missionaries encountering a reclusive figure who challenges their faith. The film leans heavily on familiar, often refuted critiques of Christianity, including: Jesus as myth: falsely comparing Him to pagan gods like Mithras or Horus, despite no credible historical parallels. All religions are the same: ignoring the uniqueness of Christ’s claim to be the only way to God (John 14:6). The Great Prayer Experiment : misrepresenting prayer as something measurable in a lab, rather than a relational act of faith aligned with God’s will. Religion is about control : presenting faith as manipulation, while missing the gospel’s true message of repentance, freedom, and grace (Galatians 5:1). While the film is visually gripping and unsettling, its theological critique is surface-level. 2/5