by Charles Kirkland Jr.
Two Mormon girls quickly find out how an innocent chat about theology can go awry when they
enter a home on a snowy evening in Heretic.
Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes are cheerfully going about their mission to spread good news about the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Working down their list of homes of prospective members,
they arrive at the last home, a house on the hill belonging to Mr. Reed, a polite gentleman who seems
genuinely fascinated by the history and teachings of Mormonism. Believing that they may have a
possible convert, the sisters enter Mr. Reed’s home ready to discuss religion while eating a slice of his
wife’s blueberry pie. Everything seems fine until it doesn’t and the girls become spooked and want to
leave.
Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, Heretic stars Hugh Grant, Chloe East and Sophie
Thatcher. Beck and Woods are the minds behind A Quiet Place.
As the title suggests, Mr. Reed is a little more than the girls imagined. Heretic becomes a horror film
that elicits the worst memories of macabre horror films like Saw, Hellraiser, and Hostel. The girls find
themselves facing a theological quandary the likes of which they have never experience and must fight
to survive. Yet with each moment, Sisters Paxton and Barnes fall deeper into a maze of faith and fact as
they attempt to find control of their predicament.
Actors East and Thatcher transform themselves into the nearly clueless women who the audience finds
themselves cheering for despite whether they believe in the faith for which they fight. The most
interesting performance though is submitted by Grant. Hugh Grant has spent a lifetime playing the
lovable romantic lead in so many films that he is almost known for that type of role – Love Actually,
Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Notting Hill. Hugh Grant spent a career being typecast. It is only within
the last few years that he has tested the borders of his ability. The Gentlemen was the first of a
few films to break him free of the mold. This film mocks and then smashes the mold. Grant is
recognizably charming at the start but the charm is tinged with a hint of evil. By the end of the film,
Grant has lured his prey in like a Venus flytrap capturing a bug. Grant goes all-out dark and demented
by the time the movie reaches its third act which is unsettlingly delicious.
Good horror is usually based on reality. The things that are the most scary are the things that
happen. The most scary ideas are the ones that we fail to think about. At its core, Heretic is a horror
that is based upon the debunking of organized religions which makes the film’s name apropos. The real
horror happens when the audience starts to accept the argument that Mr. Reed is proposing.
Heretic is not for the squeamish nor those unsure in their faith. It is a film that is scary and shocking
both for its horror and the horrifying performance given by Hugh Grant.
Grade: C+