If you look up the word heretic, you will find the following definition: a person believing in or practicing religious heresy (opinion contrary to orthodox religious doctrine) or a person holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted. Since organized religion began, there have always been heretics and some still exist worldwide today. The writing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods - who brought us A Quiet Place back in 2018 - now give us their take on the modern-day dissenter in their latest horror movie, Heretic. Starring Hugh Grant (Wonka), Chloe East (The Fablemans), and Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets), Heretic will make most people question their beliefs.
Sister Barnes (Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (East) are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and as is their mission, they are tasked with recruiting new members. While out on one of their missions, they knock on the door of Mr. Reed (Grant), who invites them in. Initially reluctant because, per their rules, there must be another female present, they agree when he tells them his wife is in the other room. After grabbing some sodas, the three settle into a lively discussion about the Bible while Mrs. Reed attends to her pie in the kitchen. However, when Mr. Reed leaves the room to get his wife, Barnes, and Paxton try to leave only to find they are locked in the house.
As they walk through the house looking for their coats, they enter a circular space that looks like a place of worship. There, Mr. Reed starts spinning rhetoric about board games, religions, and beliefs. When Barnes and Paxton ask to leave, he tells them they must go through the back and makes them choose between two doors - belief and disbelief. Unfortunately, both doors lead to the same place, and it isn't to their freedom.
Many of the roles Grant has chosen of late have been evil men with a certain charm to them, and Mr. Reed is no exception. Grant's disarming smile serves him well, and he uses it as a weapon to lull the young women into a sense of calm and comfort. Of course, much like Reed's view of organized religion, his smile masks an evil behind a glossy facade. Thatcher and East are convincing as the eager followers hoping to convert Mr. Reed to their way of thinking.
Scott and Woods weave an interesting tale that seems to be broken down into two parts. The first half of the film is rather dialogue-heavy as the trio debate and dissect the Bible, and as Reed tries to bring Paxton's and Barnes' devotion to their faith into question. The second half of Heretic is more of the psychological, scary portion that makes the audience wonder what will happen next and who will and won't come out of this game of cat and mouse alive. The bit of a twist towards the movie's end is interesting yet almost demonic in nature.
Scott and Woods have a knack for creating interesting characters that are placed in horrible scenarios. They also choose interesting and different angles with which to highlight the actors and the locations. With Heretic though, I don't know that they achieved the same level of anxiety that all of The Quiet Place films have. There is a feeling though, with this one, that the heavy lifting was done upfront and that certainly much of the last third of Heretic was kind of an afterthought.
As with Scott's and Woods' other movies, Heretic offers unique concepts that make the audience question their ideals.
Grade: B
