Bringing the concept of faith into horror makes a lot of sense. How one accepts religious beliefs as a means to understand what is and isn’t true is quite powerful. With that in mind, using these concepts often leads to movies embroiled in some form of possession. A demonic or vampiric force is frequently rooted with God in some manner, which makes for a good horror outlet for the large portion of the population that has at least some aspect of their lives rooted in Christianity, or at least filmmakers using their own backgrounds as a means for exploration. Heretic is a different story, however, as it is a psychological horror film, but one that takes things in a different direction yet is still rooted in an examination of religion. The results are quite strong, with a clever script from the writing/directing duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, and a devilishly good performance by Hugh Grant.
Grant stars as Mr. Reed, an Englishman living in an isolated home outside town. He is visited by two young Mormon missionary women, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), who are there to discuss religion with him as part of their recruitment efforts. Based on some of the unique design elements of Mr. Reed’s home, something seems off about the setup. Still, the missionaries try their best to look past suspicious elements, hoping nothing is the matter. As it turns out, however, Mr. Reed has a lot more planned for these two, which will play directly into the nature of beliefs.
See Also: ‘Civil War’ Review: One Nation Under Garland
I greatly appreciated how much this film stuck to its central ideas concerning the examination of religion. There’s a world where a movie like this tackling the subject the way it does would be controversial. However, because the world is preoccupied with other things beyond picking on another horror movie and the fact that the film is frankly smart enough to do more than just present itself provocatively, it means that, ideally, more valuable conversations about Heretic can be had. For me, as both a Jew and one who can appreciate various forms of ambition in filmmaking, it’s frankly just refreshing to watch a film like this carefully lay itself out, using intelligent setups to ratchet up the tension while staying on point and maintaining a mood.
To do this, it’s up to a strong villainous performance to approach this material with the necessary attitude. Grant is entirely up to the task here. His Mr. Reed is serious about what he’s trying to achieve but brings the right amount of playfulness in terms of keeping the Sisters who have crossed his path to go along with what he’s saying to varying degrees. Yes, there’s a bit of cat-and-mouse going on, even while the three share a room for long stretches of time. However, so much of what Grant can do as a veteran performer with many ways to emote is on display here. It comes out of shifting what we’ve seen in his standard types of characters a few degrees in another direction, but even in the realm of antagonistic character actor work he’s done as of late (The Gentleman, Paddington 2, etc.), he truly shines here.
Plus, Thatcher and East are primed to serve as compelling counters. The filmmaking may do a lot of subtle work to lean into how small they seem compared to Grant’s Mr. Reed, but the verbal sparring, whether playful or more direct and threatening, goes a long way in establishing danger. Yes, the theological discussions taking place have their own intelligence wrapped up in the intrigue that forms when trying to decipher the next steps. Still, as a means to an end, with so much of the film rooted in heavy dialogue scenes, watching Thatcher and East, both playing different character types, lean into their personas to break through Mr. Reed’s web of planning is quite effective.
Shot by Chung Chung-hoon, very deliberate visual choices do a great job of making the spaces these characters occupy feel quite constrained when needed. Numerous longer takes go on for uncomfortable stretches as the camera tracks around everyone in play at various times. Playing with the warmth of the environment also becomes clear as we move between parts of Mr. Reed’s home. Even the nature of how Mr. Reed chooses to address his subjects means watching the movie take on different shades designed through visual choices to evoke various feelings.
Beck and Woods have a labyrinthine motif in mind, made clear by a model Mr. Reed is often seen working on, and it’s quite a useful way of allowing the audience to understand how difficult this situation is. There is so much resistance to going broader with the horror up to a certain point, making for sudden jolts (in terms of major moments, not jump scares) all the more rewarding. And even then, the film still wants to work toward delivering a message. Sure, one can already have an idea of what makes the most sense to them, but the notion of someone who has the look of a guy that’s killed before to prove a point likely doesn’t also have the definitive take on what religion is meant for. That said, Heretic is more than willing to dive into areas that could lead to useful discussion.
If anything, my only gripe is how unsure I am of what further rewatches could lead to. As it stands, Heretic plays very well with viewers coming in for the first time. The movie is slow to lay its cards on the table, even after being made aware Mr. Reed is not on the level. Much like solving a puzzle or coming to understand a magic trick, there’s only so much that can be done to replicate that experience. However, going on just this viewing, there’s plenty to enjoy here. And I say that knowing the film’s final section does become more of a traditional horror movie, though I would wager to say Beck and Woods are quite aware of this.
In a year that’s led to a wide variety of solid horror films, I was more than pleased to embrace an A24 horror flick that’s not rooted in trauma. Sure, those films can land what they are after when done well (and many are), but Heretic has other things on its mind and commits. The result is a cleverly made feature that springs various surprises on its character and the audience while finding interesting paths to dig into regarding religion in a manner that could be upsetting yet doesn’t necessarily require a demon to accomplish this. Having Hugh Grant, of all people, hellbent on delivering a villainous sermon for reasons that only eventually become clear only adds to the great work handled by all to tell this little horror tale about belief.
Heretic opens in theaters on November 8, 2024.
