49/27
Reed, played by Hugh Grant
Plot
Two young religious women are drawn into a game of cat and mouse in a strange man’s house. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East in Heretic, along with other modern women who are killing the horror game. The end credits music is a version of “Knocking on Heavens Door” set to the tune of Mazzy Star’s “Fade into You”. A nod to the fact that Radiohead’s “Creep” is a reiteration (due to the melody) of The Hollies’ “The Air That I Breathe”, previously mentioned by Grant in the film. The end credits make it clear that no generative AI was used in the making of the film. Featured in movie reviews: Heretic | The Greatest Christmas Show Ever (2024). If like me you watched this movie because you wanted to see Hugh Grant play a scary villain, then you won’t be disappointed. Heretic is the story of 2 young Mormons visiting the home of Mr. However, things are not what they seem.
Reed, played by Hugh Grant
Right from the start, you meet the 2 Mormons, Sister Barnes played by Sophie Thatcher and Sister Paxton played by Chloe East. I personally came to see this movie for the Hugh Grant performance, but these 2 actresses held their own and both gave excellent performances. Since this movie is really only made up of 3 characters, it is important that 2/3 of the cast are up to par, and they did! Sophie Thatcher’s character, Sister Barnes, is, I would say, the more in-depth of the two Mormons and the more experienced of the two. Chloe East’s character, Sister Paxton, is the new missionary who feels more religious than her counterpart and is eager to convert and spread the word of God. Both of their performances are mostly about being terrified of Mr. Reed and thankfully neither falls into the trope of the stupid protagonist. Now let’s move on to Mr. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how Hugh Grant plays this character so well.
Reed is scared
Because the way he acts isn’t inherently creepy or scary in any way. It’s more about the context that makes Mr. The way he delivers his dialogue is so calm and, in a way, like he’s giving a lecture. Which he is. He’s trying to educate and enlighten the two Mormons. The way Mr. Reed really ticks me off is the way he’s condescending and talks down to you. That and the fact that we’re in a weird, creepy house, where the lights are on a timer and the ceiling is leaking. Mr.
Reed just doesn’t feel right!
I mentioned the dialogue above. Writer/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods wrote Heretic beautifully. They gave each character their own identity through their dialogue. Heretic had excellent cinematography with effective use of close-ups and panning shots. The sound design was simple but effective. The sound of creaking floorboards, dripping, and old metal locks and doors really punctuated the idea of this being an old rustic house. Now, this is a spoiler-free review so I won’t discuss that part too much, but one aspect of the film that I wish they had explored more was the idea of the maze. The figurines and miniature maze are featured on the poster and in the trailer for the film, but aren’t that prominent in the film. So if you were expecting a maze-like horror film, then I would be disappointed.
But what was there was simple and effective
That being said, the setting was pretty minimalistic, not much to discuss. The key theme of Heretic is religion and belief. This film does a great job of showing both sides of the coin without feeling like it’s favoring or attacking one view over another. It does this balancing act well, which is important, so it doesn’t feel like it’s attacking the viewpoints or beliefs of its audience. I will say that I did not find the film all that scary. It doesn’t bother me much, but it came out around Halloween and was billed as a horror film, so it may affect your enjoyment of the film, depending on what you were expecting.