As someone who loves the religious horror subgenre, I am not sure what I expected before sitting down to watch Heretic, but I definitely didn't expect to be deeply engaged and taken for a wild ride with Hugh Grant at the helm.
With the same writer and director duet behind films like Haunt and The Boogeyman, I can admit I expected Scott Beck and Bryan Woods to deliver yet another somewhat okay horror film. But this duo did not come to play. Backed by A24, Heretic is about "two young religious women are drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse in the house of a strange man." The two women, portrayed by Sophie Thatcher (Sister Barnes) and Chloe East (Sister Paxton), stop by the house of a man named Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who requested more information on the Mormon church. Mr. Reed invites the women inside but they can only enter if a woman is present. So Mr. Reed reassures them by referencing the smell of the blueberry pie that his wife has in the oven. But once inside, Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes realize Mr. Reed wants more from them than he lets on.
Photo Credit: A24
This is not a film about religion. It's about people; and that comes across in the writing and the stellar performances. The film pulls you in from the opening conversation between the women. Sister Paxton comes off as devout, yet naive as they talk about pornography while sitting on a bench that is advertising condoms. And when the two encounter Mr. Reed, you can see just how different they are in how they engage with him. Sister Barnes is apprehensive and on guard where Sister Paxton is eager and bubbly, ready to get her first ever baptism. But the standout in this intimate horror piece is Hugh Grant as Mr. Reed. He is captivatingly haunting. Just when I thought, "This man is making some sense," his mask begins to fade and we see the truth behind this antics. Beck and Woods use clever camerawork that keeps you on edge, feeling as though you'll miss something if you look away even for just a moment.
The film leaves the audience with an ambiguous ending, forcing you to sit in the aftermath of what you've just witnessed. While this often works, for this film the choice feels lazy. When we look at recent films like Cuckoo or Never Let Go, that both left the ending open for interpretation, the conclusions made sense. It could go one of two ways. Heretic's ending felt like the writers didn't want to make a choice between the various theories that were presented within the narrative. After experiencing such an unsettling and immersive buildup, it felt like a let down.
Heretic features dynamic characters, great performances, and intriguing dialogue. At a time where more and more folks are moving away from organized religion, Woods and Beck tackle the hard truths about theology and the people behind it. Religious horror has long been filled with priests and demons so it is refreshing to see a new take on the subgenre.
Written & Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
⭐⭐⭐⭐