Most religious horror movies take for granted that The Devil or Antichrist are real. Heretic, which screened at AFI Fest in Hollywood, Calif, cleverly makes debate part of the horror.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) knock on Mr. Reed's (Hugh Grant) door. He invites them inside out of the rain.
At first, it seems Reed is just being nice to some poor kids sent out in the rain to do recruiting work. Soon, Barnes and Paxton suspect Reed has nefarious intentions, and they are correct.
Grant turns on the charm as Reed, although he lets a few creepy looks escape during his nice guy phase. But, once it becomes clear Reed won't let the girls leave, he really uses his repertoire from romantic comedies to sinister effect.
It actually draws attention to the fact that rom-coms can be sociopathic. Charming men pressure women into doing things but we still hope she falls for him.
In Heretic, and with Grant at 64, those same smirks and jabberings are undeniably manipulative. Reed offers Barnes and Paxton choices which don't seem like choices at all,
Then, Reed points out the parallels between social politeness and faith. People agree to certain routines and pageantry without question to keep the peace.
This transitions into engaging Barnes and Paxton in religious debate, but his intentions are neither salvation nor education.
It's interesting that Barnes and Paxton lie to try to get out of Reed's house. Lying must be against their religion, but when their lives are threatened it kicks in as a defense mechanism, and doesn't work any more than being sincere would.
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Reed draws parallels between innocuous games and music to illustrate points about the evolution of religion from Judaism to the Mormon Church and beyond.
Grant's charm makes a theology lesson captivating too. His speeches were written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who also directed.
Grant also bugs out more and more intensely as Reed ramps up. He also does a Jar Jar Binks impression and it is totally relevant.
The girls have to silently listen a lot, but Barnes is studied enough to poke holes in Reed's claims. Paxton is more innocent and trusting of her church elders, thus also perhaps more impressionable.
The film isn't making a case for the Mormon Church either. It's secular to the degree that no women of any faith deserve to be kidnapped or worse.
Nor is it anti-faith. Certainly, when a character like Reed is the skeptic, it's easy to root for the believers.
Heretic is still a thriller, and there are tense sequences in which Barnes and Paxton use the acoutrements of the house to try to signal for help or escape. Beck and Woods clearly set up elements early that will come into play later.
Heretic maintains its tension with only three characters in a single location. Though Grant's sinister turn is a highlight, the craft of all involved makes the film's provocative fights succeed.
A24 will release Heretic in theaters Nov. 8.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
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