Two young religious women are drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse in the house of a strange man.
Pam says:
“Heretic” plays the devil’s advocate, at least at first, as two female Mormon evangelists knock on the door of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) as per his request. The innocence of Sisters Paxton (Chloe East) and Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) is obvious as we eavesdrop upon their discussion of “sexing” in a porno. There’s an intelligent air about Sister Barnes, however, and the two find themselves discussing “the one true religion” in the home of Mr. Reed while his supposed-wife bakes a blueberry pie for them to share.
While “Heretic” uses many of the horror genre tropes — entering a secluded home, not listening to your gut, entering dank and dark underground places through unknown doors — it also uses intelligence to create a discourse about religious sects and beliefs and its history. In fact, much of the first half of the movie hones in on this, prompting our own intrinsic conversation about what we are hearing and seeing. It is this cognitive stimulation that makes “Heretic” a unique film within the genre of horror.
The cast is small consisting primarily of Grant, Thatcher, and East who all find their rhythm in their roles. Grant is shockingly chilling as Mr. Reed; a mastermind of sociopathic ideas. He lets us into his head, captivated by his passionate and numerous soliloquies, his eyes smugly twinkling as he debates these two young girls. Grant appears to relish his role, taking us down a rabbit hole of research supporting his character’s hypotheses. We find ourselves floundering with a response, but thanks to Thatcher’s Barnes, an equal match intellectually, we are buoyed by her counter arguments. It’s a game of verbal tennis that rallies with intensity and fear as we watch these girls in what seems to be a no-win situation. East rises to the occasion, digging deep within her character to create a believability to a horrifying situation and together they become a memorable ensemble.
With any horror film, editing and a musical score are of utmost importance and “Heretic” has this in spades. Camera angles bring us into this claustrophobic atmosphere filled with things that go BOO! And music and sound bring it all together to create one creepy story.
Conceptually and visually, there are disturbing scenes…remember, it’s a horror movie. Thankfully, if you’re like me, there’s a balance so that those graphic scenes don’t dominate the entire film. They add to it at just the right moment to remind you that Mr. Reed is truly evil, albeit quite intelligent.
“Heretic” isn’t your typical horror movie; it’s really so much more. Warning: if you’re a “believer,” this might offend you or perhaps even challenge your beliefs. And when a horror movie can do that, you’ve got a winner.
3 1/2 stars
