A frightening and surprisingly funny exploration into the nature of belief and the role of women in organized religion, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ Heretic gets maximum mileage from a charismatic villain and their sharply realized script. While a lot of Heretic is the kind of stuff one might hear in basic level theology and philosophy classes, Beck and Woods (writers of A Quiet Place) leans towards the ghoulish and humorous in a bid to entertain viewers who’ll be squirming in their seats throughout. It’s basic and more than a tad obvious (until the big reveal), but also a heck of a lot of fun.
Mormon missionaries Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are responding to the home of a curious soul who expressed interest in learning more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Upon their arrival, Barnes and Paxton are greeted by a kindly, bespectacled man named Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant). The man offers them shelter from the poor weather outside and a slice of blueberry pie, but the young women are hesitant, as they technically aren’t allowed to converse with a man without another woman present. Mr. Reed says his wife will be out in a moment, and starts to engage the women in a theological debate. It’s not long before the young women realize that the wife isn’t coming, and Mr. Reed has darker intentions in mind.
Regardless of one’s spiritual beliefs (or lack thereof), Heretic will hook viewers in immediately with Beck and Woods’ mastery of playful banter, and the cast’s ability to dish and take with equal measure. While East is tasked with playing the more kindly and inexperienced missionary (a role she’s quite great at), Thatcher get the chance to play someone more worldly, well versed, and, as we eventually discover, secretive. Grant, on the other hand, gives one of his best performances as someone who puts forward a soft-spoken, intellectual front, but is actually a madman driven by spite and ego. At first, it’s never certain if Mr. Reed’s goal is to open the eyes of these young women to the lies behind their religion, or if he’s trying to control them for a different endgame. Most of Heretic hinges on the interplay between Thatcher and Grant, with both proving to be perfectly aligned adversaries.
Beck and Woods always frame Heretic as a horror movie first and a social commentary second, but use the latter settings to ease into the former. There’s always a sense of mounting dread, but also a devilish playfulness that makes the viewer want to dig a little deeper and deeper, until eventually they find the heroes in over their heads at last. And yet, Heretic is the antithesis of a slow burn. It starts at a high level of execution and never lets up until the very end.
While Heretic starts off poking fun at the contradictory nature of religions and warring systems of belief, Woods and Beck slowly introduce new themes through the backdoor, almost without the viewer noticing that the goals have shifted. The effects of Mr. Reed’s gaslighting become more apparent, raising questions about the subjugation of women in male dominated society, not just within the religious realm. The religious aspect of Heretic is merely an entry point for a larger discussion, one that will help the film’s biggest twist to land brilliantly, and offers up a lot for the viewer to think about after the story has ended.
Heretic opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, November 8, 2024.
