Heretic Movie Review

Hugh Grant delivers a brilliant performance in this thoughtful, entertaining, and thrilling horror thriller from the writers of a quiet place who direct as well as write. 4 out of five stars

Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Directors Scott Beck and Brian Woods create a horror film that is unsettling, thought provoking, entertaining, and investing all at the same time with the first half of the film being this philosophical discussion on religion then it makes a pivot at the midpoint to something more sinister that worked for me but can see how it wouldn’t work for others. The main thing I loved about this film was the performances from the main trio they really do a great job carrying this film because for the first half it’s mainly dialog heavy, they must get you invested and do in spades. The cinematography, camera work, framing, and the lighting is this film is amazing the filmmakers find so many ways to make this limed space so cinematic and interesting for the audience, so it does not get stale or boring.

The first thing to talk about is the direction of the film by Scott Beck and Brian Woods they do such a great job directing this film the way they can keep your attention through characters just talking is awesome which is so unique for a horror movie these days. The places they put the camera are so dynamic and interesting whether it’s the close ups on the actors faces, when a character clime down to new part of the house then the camera zooms up into a top-down shot to show you the situation they are now in is terrifying. Their choice to not even hide that Mr. Reed is not a good guy just by the way they lit him is ominous but ties in thematically so well to the girl’s naive approach to the world but then they show you they aren’t dumb that they pick up on this relatively quickly to try to figure out how to get out of the situation they find themselves in which was great to watch.

The performances are phenomenal starting with Hugh Grant as Mr. Reed is amazing the way he charms not just our 2 young missionaries but us the audience is incredible even when you should know better Grant gets you to think maybe he isn’t evil, but you remember you are watching a horror movie and that every time you think that he says something that feels off as the film progresses that feeling gets stronger. The way he unsettles the girls with questions and remarks that seem innocent but once you get to the end of the film you realize they were intentional to unsettle their believe in God. Not to be outdone the 2 missionaries played by Sophie Thatcher as Sister Barnes and Chole East as Sister Paxton are fantastic, they are both fully realized characters with distinct characteristics with Sister Barnes being the more world weary of the 2 that isn’t invested in the religion as Sister Paxton with certain things that come to light about her it makes sense why she isn’t as much a believer. Sister Paxton is a great character in lesser hands she would be annoying, cartoony, and just flat out stupid but in the hands of Chole East and the writer/directors Scott Buck and Brian woods she is naive but not dumb she has a big heart full of compassion and when the situation calls for it, she gets to show how brave, resourceful, even understanding Mr. Reeds point of view to a degree makes her such a great character to root for.

The script for this movie is one of my favorites of the year with how it challenges you as the viewer even though Mr. Reed is clearly the villain of the film the points he makes about religion I found myself agreeing with him on the points he is making about religion so even though I really like the 2 missionaries and don’t want anything to happen to them I was agreeing with the villain at times in this film what a great trick to play on the audience. The trap this script could have fallen into was to make it one sided like we have seen so many times but no sister Barnes when Mr. Reed uses board games and music to make his point about religion and askes if Judaism is the first one why are there only 0.2% counters by saying you overlooked the holocaust along with thousands of years of persecution the Jewish people have suffered through history was so investing, thought provoking, and smart. The one thing about this film for me is once they go into the 2 doors that section did not work as well in my opinion Mr. Reed trying to bring back the dead part of the film dragged but once sister Paxton discovers what is underneath the floorboards the confrontation with Mr. Reed pulls me back in again which is terrifying at what the point he is trying to make about religion its bone chilling to me about the connections you can make not just to religion but to capitalism how it’s just about certain people maintaining control to keep people in a box and maintain power it scared the crap out of me.

Final thoughts on the film is its really good it adds to the great year it has been for horror fans and shows what the horror genre can do when you approach it with this kind of care it be both art with entertainment at the same time please do see it in the theater if you can or get it 4k Blu-ray or video on demand I’m going to give it a 4 out of 5 stars.