Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ “Heretic” (2024) dives deeper into its themes unlike other stories of religious trauma. As a result, it delivers one of this year's more intellectual horror movies.
“Heretic” follows Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher), young missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As they go from house to house in an unnamed part of Utah trying to teach and convert those interested, they knock on the door and are greeted by a man named Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant).
He invites them into his home to discuss the church and religion in general. Once Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes realize they are trapped inside with no escape, they are forced to go along with Mr. Reed’s experiment of determining which of the two's beliefs in Mormonism is stronger.
A lot of horror films incorporate the use of religion, and most of these films use its religious tie-ins to put that religion in a negative light. “Heretic” doesn’t do this and is a horror film that isn’t in a rush to get to the more bloody or scarier material, instead. In fact, the audience being in the shoes of Sisters Paxton and Barnes and not knowing what Mr. Reed will do next is truly terrifying, instead of some type of demon.
East and Thatcher both do an amazing job playing the two main characters. They are instantly likable, and the film does a clever switch-a-roo with the writing of their characters. At first, Sister Paxton seems to be more of high spirits and is eager to introduce God and Mormonism to others while Sister Barnes is more on the fence on her beliefs.
When both are found to be cornered by Mr. Reed and confronted with choosing between an ‘unbelief’ door and a ‘belief’ boor, Sister Barnes is first to rebel against Mr. Reed’s claims on all religions. In the film’s third act, Sister Paxton finally grows to become like Sister Barnes: someone who will fight for what they believed in no matter the cost.
A lot of this film’s publicity has centered on Hugh Grant’s performance and rightfully so. It has been a long time since moviegoers have seen Grant really have fun with his characters. In “Heretic,” Grant plays a villain not looking for revenge or has something against somebody else. The audience never learns Mr. Reed’s backstory, making him much more interesting.
There is never a mention of a particular event in Mr. Reed’s life that made him the way he is. It is up to the viewers’ imagination how he became the film’s presentation of him. The audience never knows what he’ll do next, and his true intention isn’t revealed until much later.
Mr. Reed is a great comeback performance for Grant, and, hopefully, it sparks interest in Hollywood to cast him in other projects outside of horror. If he wasn’t in “Heretic,” the film wouldn’t have the same impact.
Being a horror film, it surprisingly doesn’t include many jump scares. All of the tension and scary atmosphere come from “Heretic” being mostly set in one location: Mr. Reed’s home. Horror films set in one location, like Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” (1980) and Rob Reiner’s “Misery” (1990), make for an even more terrifying experience because it creates the effect that the viewers are also trapped inside with the main characters.
There isn’t much use of an original score in the film, but there are a few scenes where some already existing songs are played – all of which are awesome incorporations. The best is a vinyl copy of The Hollies’ 1974 single “The Air That I Breathe.”
“Heretic” is one of the best horror films of 2024 that isn’t the film most people are probably expecting. If it sparks your interest, then seeing it won’t be a bad idea.
Rating: 4/5
