If you see a horror movie coming to theaters, more often than not, I won’t be in the seats reviewing it. If it’s campy, or not too much of a gore fest I may give it a try. But there was just something appealing about the premise of Heretic from the beginning, and add in the chance to see Hugh Grant flip the script and be the bad guy – sign me up! Heretic isn’t your normal horror movie, and it most likely can be used as a conversation starter on some tougher topics. It’s actually a really well-thought-out premise, plopped into the horror genre and one that may even bring more non-horror fans to the genre.
When Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), Mormon missionaries go to the door of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), their only desire is to spread their religious message. But Mr. Reed has other ideas in mind. Going against their gut feelings in order to get the required conversions and baptisms they need for their mission, the girls enter his home and find themselves unwillingly trapped. The girls are lured in to escape the bad weather with the promise of pie, only to find that was the first of many deceptions. Now they have to figure out how to get out of a bad situation, and hopefully get home again without compromising themselves or their beliefs.
Going into Heretic, knowing that it had a bit of a religious twist and that A24 was distributing it, the movie could have gone one of two ways. But the desire to see Hugh Grant play a truly bad guy made me push past any apprehensions about the potential problems. Thankfully, his casting for this role was spot on. We’re used to seeing Hugh Grant as a romantic lead, and other than Paddington II and his roles in the Bridget Jones franchise we usually see him as this smooth-talking lead in films. But this charm, this charisma is what is used to disarm the girls and ultimately used against them. Even at his worst in the movie, that charm is still creeping through which makes it the perfect groundwork for a truly evil person. Sure, his beliefs aren’t unique in the grand scheme of things but how he uses them to judge and persecute others absolutely is.
Heretic fits itself squarely in the thriller part of the horror genre. With a couple of jump scares throughout, it’s more of a suspenseful examination of faith and humanity than it actually would be a horror movie. Don’t get me wrong, there are some definite moments of shock and gore, but the feelings of dread are more in the gut of your stomach. While it’s not on the same level of fear-filled intuition that you can relate to from Woman of the Hour, the feelings are ones that women viewers can easily relate to. But will the social and religious pressures and requirements keep you in that situation or will you break free?
It’s not so much a movie based on one religious principle or a proper belief system. The debate in Heretic is closer to comparing the different religions and the similarities between them – all while they claim to be the only true faith. It challenges the girls and the audience to look at the differences as well as the commonalities. And to see if these challenges of faith are enough to push through or fight for. Neither side of the conversation is fully correct or wrong at times, but both bring up good points to consider. But is framing a horror movie around a faith discussion a step too far for some? It’ll be interesting to see the audience reviews depending on the belief structures of the viewers. However the reviews come in, and the discussion about faith as an impetus for a horror movie is an interesting one on its own. So many horrific things have been done in the name of religion throughout the centuries, so to see something like this happen, even on the screen doesn’t seem as far-fetched as you might think. With the conversations happening at each other rather than with, and both sides not willing to bend, maybe the extreme situation isn’t as far-fetched as we’d like to believe.
Heretic will be playing in theaters everywhere this weekend.
Overall Rating
About Heretic
Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed ( Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
Starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East
Written and Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
(A24)