The Stranger Series | Heretic

When life meets fiction

This series is based on true experiences of encounters with strangers which have left their mark decades on.

If you missed any of the other parts to this series you can read them below:

Today is part 7 - Heretic written by Tara Hartley. Get ready to rethink if watching a film really just stays on the screen…

Let’s dive in!

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I first saw Heretic in theatres when it opened. My dad and I went together on a quiet evening, the kind where you don’t expect much more than popcorn and a decent movie.

We both liked it. It’s one of those psychological thrillers that gets under your skin in a subtle way.

The premise is simple but unsettling: two young missionaries knock on a stranger’s door hoping to talk about faith. Instead, they find themselves drawn into a tense and increasingly disturbing conversation with a man who seems far more interested in testing their beliefs than hearing them. The movie slowly builds this sense of unease, leaving you questioning who has power and why anyone knocks on a stranger’s door at all.

A few months later, when it became available for streaming, I decided to watch it again at home. I wanted to see if I had missed any details the first time around.

I dimmed the lights, got comfortable on the couch, and pulled up the movie. The title screen sat there waiting while I grabbed a drink from the kitchen.

Just as I was about to press play, there was a knock at my door.

Not the quick tap of a delivery driver, but a slow, polite knock.

When I opened the door, two young girls were standing there. They looked about sixteen or seventeen, dressed neatly, the way missionaries often are.

One of them smiled and asked if they could read some scripture with me.

For a moment, I just stared at them.

Because if you’ve seen Heretic, you know that’s exactly how the story begins.

And there I was, literally seconds away from starting that exact movie.

I declined politely. They thanked me and walked down the path toward the next house.

I closed the door and went back to the couch.

The title screen was still paused, waiting.

I sat there for a moment longer than usual before pressing play. Suddenly it felt like the movie had already started.

I had lived in this house for fifteen years. No one had ever knocked on my door to discuss scripture.

Not once.

I called my dad.

“You’re not going to believe what just happened.”

He was stunned. He knew the movie too. He knew exactly what happens to the young women who knock on that door.

After we hung up, I sat there thinking about those two girls walking house to house, carrying a message meant to bring kindness into the world.

I hoped they would always be met with kindness in return.

I pressed play.

And the whole time I watched, I kept thinking about those two girls walking down the street…

knocking on the next door.

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Thank you for reading Tara’s post! Tara has a new publication called The Kind Path. This is her first post on here and I’m honoured to have story as part of this series!

𝓒 𝓢𝓲𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓮 ✨

If you would like to share a story of a stranger who impacted your life as part of this series: