HERETIC (2024)
In theaters now from A24 Films!
Directed/Written by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/jpWUOxRozZg
A pair of young Mormon girls, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), go door to door to spread the word of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints arrive on the doorstep of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant). Reed invites the two missionaries into his home, as it is raining outside, promising them that his wife is in the kitchen, as the girls are not allowed to enter a home without a woman present. But once inside, the two girls find out they are locked in with a madman who will test the belief in their religion to its very core.

HERETIC is an outstanding example of smart horror. It is written in such a way that it both challenges and stimulates the mind. It’s a film that feels as if a lot of work was put into the entire movie making process from the screenplay to the final production. Filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods; who also are responsible for the A QUIET PLACE series, 65, and HAUNT, really know their scares and put a lot of thought into those scares as well. The biggest compliment I can give HERETIC is that it feels like a theology class by that one cool teacher in high school or college who dared to teach in a meaningful or imaginative way that really seals what they are teaching into the class’ noggins. Much of HERETIC consists of three people talking with one another about abstract concepts. It’s almost 80-90% dialog, but because it is being presented in an interesting, tension-filled, exciting, and pressurized way, every word feels electric, intentional, and memorable. While religion is the center piece of the film, they honestly could have been talking about cooking or how to put together a clock, and if presented in the same stimulating way, it’s going to be something you won’t forget. HERETIC serves as a course in religious history, presenting its point pretty darn clearly from the beginning, and then elaborating on the point along the way—all set to a tantalizing game of cat and mouse…or mice, to be more accurate.

The point HERETIC is making is that everything is derivative. While Grant’s Mr. Reed is trying to study religion and has come to an ultimate conclusion which he seems to fully believe in, the real point of it all is that all religions seem to steal from beliefs before it. And in a broader sense, all ideas are formed as elaborations of previous ones. Take this movie for example. Basically, if you are boiling it down to its basic elements, HERETIC is SAW meets BARBARIAN meets THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES. The scene where Reed lures the two young girls into his home and has a seemingly innocent conversation with them is torn straight from one of the most memorable moments in THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES. The fact that the simple home is only the beginning of the horrors that occur far below the home is straight from the cavernous plot of BARBARIAN. And the moralistic choices Reed forces these two girls to make are simply a derivation of John Kramer aka Jigsaw’s philosophy from the SAW series. So while HERETIC might feel fresh and new, it’s only a sampling of ideas from previous films. And I think that’s intentional, as that is the point Reed is trying to communicate about religion with his various references to the Monopoly game and the song “The Air that I Breathe” by the Hollies. But the thing that makes the film so good is that it presents this thesis of there being no original ideas in such a compelling and terrifying way.

I’m sure HERETIC might be a film that will anger those who are religious as it takes a look at beliefs from a bit of a distance and sort of lumps them all together into one category. But just as the film presents this compelling argument from a talented actor like Grant, it also makes the two girls not too shabby either in the debate as they are smart enough to counter a lot of what Reed has to say with logic, their understanding of their own core beliefs, and most importantly, beliefs that stay within the confines of their own characters. While Reed’s experiment and debate falters a bit as the story goes on, the film smartly addresses the weaknesses of his philosophy through these bright eyed young women, so even when the script wobbles a bit, it notices these less supported bits and throws them into the argument as well. It really is a master-class in how to tell a solid story and support it through action, character, and succinct dialog, all based on a solid thesis.

Out of all of the religions dissected, the girls being Mormon and the fact that Reed wants to make them doubt their own beliefs, Mormons are most likely going to be offended the most. I must admit, my Mormon knowledge comes from the HBO series BIG LOVE with Bill Paxton and those old Latter-Day Saints commercials of old. But again, it just shows how much research was put into making the script accurate, yet not entirely damning of religion. In the end, the film’s finale could be read as supportive of faith. Then again, it could be seen as quite a downer of an end if looked at in a particular way. Like the rest of the film, that dissects one’s beliefs, the ending can be what you want it to be and makes it one of the more memorable one’s I’ve encountered in quite a while.

None of the arguments in HERETIC would hold up or be effective if the acting was shit. Hugh Grant, who seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth lately, reappears in HERETIC with an astoundingly meaty role. He uses the typical “Aww shucks” Hugh Grant charm to lure these kids in and then reveals quite a devious side without ever hamming it up. He offers up his hypothesis about religion confidently and sincerely, and even when things escalate in the climax, never loses his dignity or conviction. It’s an impressively strong role that I believe few could pull off, but the baggage Grant carries with him from his long career in film, only benefits him in this film where he is definitely playing against type.

The other two main components of this movie are Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, who coincidentally both grew up as Mormons in real life, and represent distinct aspects of that religion so well. Thatcher’s Sister Barnes didn’t grow up with the religion, so her connection doesn’t run as deep as East’s Paxton (which most likely is a nod to BIG LOVE’s Bill Paxton), but both seem to view their faith with conviction despite their origins. But we really get to know the two’s characters in the opening monologue of these two gals talking about sex in the most innocent of ways. Honestly, I’ve seen attempts to make the audience fall in love with lead characters before, but the way these gals talked about or more succinctly dance around the subject of sex without swearing or using foul language was absolutely charming beyond belief. I could watch these two talk about anything in this way simply by the way these two girls represented their distinct characters through thoughtful dialog and excellent characterization. Both Thatcher and East deliver star making performances here and with Thatcher starring next year’s COMPANION from the maniacs that brought you BARBARIAN, it seems one of them is on the way already.

Simply the way most of this film is almost 100% dialog and debate and still remains to be compelling and completely laden with tension is the true selling point for me. The scares have been seen before, but because the subject matter being dissected is done in such a fascinating way, it makes the watch all the more interesting and fresh. I can’t recommend this film enough. From the characters playing their parts to the audience watching, HERETIC is a movie that will challenges beliefs. In this day and age of contagious black and white thinking, that’s a good and important thing. See HERETIC, it’ll challenge your core beliefs whether you like it or not.

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Music Written by Tim Heidecker
Music & Arrangement by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy https://youtu.be/PDySbxQgZMg
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