The hottest club in Toronto, Heretic has everything: A Bob Ross Monopoly game, Mormons talking about condom sizes, a robust dissection of religion, and Hugh Grant singing Radiohead’s “Creep.”
That is to say, A24 has found yet another great horror movie, this time directed and written by A Quiet Place co-writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.
Heretic is centered around two young Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), who provide some major Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie vibes. The two play a wonderfully provocative and damn fun game of cat and mouse with a potential convert Mr. Reed (Grant) who has laid a trap in his house to convert them to his “true” religion.Â
This all devolves into a fascinating exploration of religion, both by those who oppose Christianity and those who find comfort and belief in a higher power. Both forces are used in equal measure — so for anyone who wants to walk out half an hour in after Reed gives a dense case against Christian theology, please hold tight. You’re going to want to hear the rebuttal from your Mormon representatives.
But even for Christians like myself, Reed’s whole modus operandi and persona is insatiable. This certainly has a lot to do with Grant’s pitch-perfect bravura that ranges from whimsical to pure menace. It’s a devilishly fun villain role for the ages. To be clear, he is the villain. His argument is not the thesis of the movie, though the script certainly doesn’t put religion (let alone Mormonism) on a pedestal. Religion has always been ripe for the horror genre at large, and Beck/Woods utilize the intrigue to its fullest extent.Â
While the physical threat that Reed imposes on Barnes and Paxton is great, it’s the spiritual torment that attacks their soul and belief system that is the most brilliant aspect of their labyrinth.
On that note, the production design’s puzzle is just as effective. Meticulously designed, the production design from Philip Messina (mother! and The Hunger Gamesusaga) gives some of his best work, layered in detail that helps both Reed and his unfortunate contestants in his game.
If there is any negative to point Heretic’s way, some viewers may find particular developments like surprise characters or misdirections to be cliche. But even those are handled well by Beck and Woods with purpose. The ending as well, either finds the easy way out or adds to the story. I side with the latter, fully on board with the final direction.
Heretic certainly ruffles feathers but it’s a damn fun time that means no harm. The existential and spiritual interrogations are just a bonus.
