Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Heretic!
Barnes and Paxton make a surprising choice when faced with testing the doors of belief in Hereticand this is where each character chooses what they want. All over HereticIn the story, Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton face a variety of torturous tests while at Mr. Reed’s house, with their sick and twisted games attempting to highlight truths about their faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . However, the two protagonists Heretic They quickly begin to disagree over their approaches to Mr. Reed’s tests, with their choice of door saying a lot about them.
2024 Heretic is one of the most interesting thrillers of the year, with directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods creating a gripping horror film that tackles the themes of faith and religion head-on. The film follows two Mormons who go to the home of a man named Mr. Reed in an attempt to win him over to their religion. However, the two missionaries quickly realize that things are not as they seem, with Mr. Reed’s home full of traps and tests that aim to highlight certain truths about his faith and the history of his religion.
Paxton chooses the door of disbelief to try to please Mr.
Even though she still believes in her religion
At a certain point, Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton are trapped in a fake chapel designed by Mr.. To leave, Mr. Reed explains that they must exit through the back of his house. Two doors are at the back of the chapel, with Reed using a piece of chalk to write the word “belief“in one and”disbelief” on the other. Reed explains that they both lead to the same place, but that they must choose which door they want to go through according to their faith. Interestingly, the friends choose different doors, with Sister Paxton choosing the door of unbelief.
By choosing the door called unbelief, Sister Paxton is not trying to renounce her faith. After all, apostasy is one of the worst sins Paxton could commit, as explained earlier in the film. However, Sister Paxton is trying to appeal to Mr. Reed by lying about her faith to try and escape. Since Sister Paxton believes Mr. Reed is anti-religion, she hopes that saying she doesn’t believe in his religion will please him. Despite her hopes of being discharged, Mr. Reed does not grant her wish, with Sister Barnes choosing a different option.
Barnes chooses the door of belief to face Mr.
Showing your confidence in your faith
When faced with the two-door test, Sister Barnes makes the opposite choice to her friend, with Barnes deciding to choose the door labeled belief. All over Heretic Up until this point, Sister Barnes has shown herself to be the one who has much more confidence in her religion and faith. So even though Sister Barnes understands Sister Paxton’s plan, she decides to go against it and choose the door of belief. Because Mr. Reed has said he appreciates and sees the value of religion, Barnes’ choice is an attempt to confront him.
Sister Barnes also chooses the door of belief so as not to have to be an apostate, without renouncing her faith in Mormonism, despite the danger it could put her in. lead to the same place, making Mr. Reed’s test of faith even more confusing.
Paxton & Barnes’ The Door Decision Sums Up Heretic’s Key Themes
Your choices don’t really matter
Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes’ decisions during the two-door test perfectly sum up Hereticmain themes, acting as a beacon amidst the film’s complex religious commentary. The film is about how belief and disbelief shape what people do and how people sometimes lie about what they believe or don’t believe in order to conform. As Hugh Grant’s Mr. Reed points out, both sisters proclaim that they believe his wife is there, even though all available evidence suggests that she does not exist.
Furthermore, the fact that the doors lead to the same location says something more about religion. Mr. Reed’s test is intended to illustrate that, no matter how much we believe or don’t believe in something, our belief has no effect on empirical reality. If a god doesn’t exist, he doesn’t exist, whether you believe he does or not. If a god exists, it exists whether you believe it exists or not. Despite being sadistic, all of Mr. Reed’s tests are right, turning his villainous plan into Heretic incredibly interesting.