I promise you, the last thing I wanted to do was find the one true religion – but unfortunately, I did.
Heretic follows Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, two Mormon missionaries going door to door. They find themselves at the home of Mr. Reed, who feigns interest and invites them in to share a slice of pie with him and his wife. We already know though that this is an A24 horror movie, and things will not be going well for the Mormon duo, and their faith will certainly be tested before they are allowed to leave.
As a person who grew up in a high-control religious environment, I was excited to see Heretic. I knew it was going to have interesting conversations about religion and faith, and the cast of Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East looked like a good omen. However, this movie isn’t critical of religion as a whole. In fact, the Mormon faith is painted in a somewhat neutral, if not good, light. The turns this movie took in its theming were unexpected, but I was all in for the ride.
Mr. Reed’s house is a masterful set piece as Paxton and Barnes begin to feel more claustrophobic and trapped. What first looked like an innocuous house in the living room becomes a maze of doors, floor hatches, and ladders the further they venture in. It mimics the conversations they have throughout the film, many confusing threads of history and culture leading to the movie’s concluding question: what is the only true religion?
I’ve got to tick some points off though for the Monopoly scene. It’s an incredible scene, and definitely the highlight of Hugh Grant’s acting that’s equal parts folksy and sinister. However, if we’re looking at historical accuracy, the movie definitely pulls a Dan Brown and just makes some stuff up. It doesn’t take away from the story in any way, but history buffs watching and asking themselves “is that really true” will be disappointed to learn that many of the facts cited about religious history are exaggerated, myth or just fiction.
Overall though, the movie sticks the landing. The story may be a tad messy at parts, but the theming and characters are consistent throughout. I think it would have been easy to go with an atheist psycho taking these religious prudes down a peg, but it goes in another direction. The movie instead decides to tackle why we have faith in the first place, what it gives us, and how it changes us. Shockingly, Mr. Reed ends up looking like the one who has it wrong: being so desperate to disprove other faiths that he doesn’t bother to live a fulfilled life in his own belief system.
Horror fans will be mixed on this one I think. It’s a slow burn with a lot of talking, but the tension is sky high and the few well-timed jump scares work. However, if you’re not a fan of horror with heavy religious themes like Midnight Mass or Saint Maud, this may not be for you. I loved this movie, and I’m looking forward to seeing more from Scott Beck and Bryan Woods in the future.
