Many fear that the film Missionary, a “dramatic thriller” about a Mormon Elder run amok with violence and passion, will negate all that great PR The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received from the film Meet the Mormons. I’m here to reassure them that that’s not gonna happen.

Missionary is getting a small release — only 10 theaters in major markets, but will also be available on VOD, beginning on Halloween, when it will likely be buried among so many other scary movies. Getting a footing in that genre will be difficult, because it’s a very long, slow slog before the titular missionary finally reaches his gory boiling point.

Surprisingly enough, Missionary has a decent pedigree. Director/Editor Anthony DiBlasi is a protege of Clive Barker, and you’ve seen actress Dawn Olivieri, who stars as the single mom object of the Missionary’s perverted affection, in Heroes, Vampire Diaries and House of Lies. Kip Pardue (Remember the Titans, Driven) stars as the ex-husband and object of the Missionary’s explosive wrath. Mitch Ryan (One Tree Hill) plays the hunky/crazed/fanatical Missionary himself, adroitly spouting twisted doctrine so convincingly that it can make some viewers wonder if that’s really what Mormons believe.

The authenticity—to a point, comes from writer/producer Bruce Wood. Originally, writers Wood and Scott Poiley came up with an idea for a slasher located in a cul-de-sac.

“We wanted to come up with a villain that would naturally eliminate any threat when greeted at the front door,” said Poiley. “We went from having our antagonist masquerade as a Mormon to actually making him Mormon. Once we made this choice, the story came to life. The slasher morphed into a dramatic thriller. And because Bruce Wood grew up Mormon we were able to draw from personal experiences, bringing depth and authenticity to the characters.”

So let me be clear here — this is not an anti-Mormon film. It just uses the religion as a premise, as has been done so many times in movies based on Catholicism, Judaism, Fundamentalist Christianity, etc. It’s just not a compelling enough movie to capture viewer interest in the first place, when there are hundreds of other choices. In a most telling scene the Missionary expounds on his own personal, perverted doctrine, only to find that his lover has fallen asleep.