“Heretic”: Not Much Horrific, But Almost Terrific | Review

I have a strange hobby: going through the filmography of the best actors and actresses in Hollywood, finding the horror films among them, and watching the horror films of the actors I like – sometimes, it even results in articles. On the face of it, Hugh Grant is not a name that should pass this test, not just because I am not one of his die-hard fans. The 64-year-old English actor has had an extensive career, which began in the 1980s. For decades, we recognize him with the charmer role in romantic comedies and seldom in horror films. In recent years, perhaps due to age, he has been discovering “new” sides, some even darker. The most extreme example is “Heretic,” where Grant plays a psychotic religious fanatic, a film many critics and horror fans consider as one of the best horror films of 2024.

The good news is that the positive hype surrounding the film is quite justified. “Heretic” features one of Grant’s finest acting performances, in the role of a loner who appears to be a lovable man but is actually somewhat unstable, accompanied by young but very talented actresses who may one day become horror queens. Although the film has some significant issues with atmosphere and script, it is undoubtedly a must-watch, thanks to its original ideas, tense atmosphere, deep dialogue, and excellent acting.

Two Girls And A Psychopath: What Is Heretic About?

“Heretic” presents at its center a situation that we have seen in several films with many differences between them: two young girls who arrive at a stranger’s house in the middle of nowhere during a storm. Sometimes, it gives rise to a hot threesome with two sexy but slightly crazy girls, which ends with a man who finds himself buried up to his neck in mud, and especially does not know how to bury himself after the family finds out what the hell he did (“Knock Knock” with Keanu Reeves, Ana de Armas and Lorenza Izzo). In other cases, the unlucky girls find themselves in the home of a madman who conducts horrific experiments on humans inspired by the Nazis (“The Human Centipede”). There are probably a few more examples, but too many to mention. So “Two girls arrive at an isolated house” sounds like the beginning of a joke or a silly horror movie, but it turns out you can take it in surprising directions.

In the case of “Heretic,” the picture is different. The girls are two young Mormon missionaries and not so innocent because, in the opening scene, they are already talking about marketing condoms. Sister Barnes (excellent Sophie Thatcher from “Yellowjackets,” “The Boogeyman,” and the superb “Companion”) is a tough and suspicious young woman. At the same time, her friend, Sister Paxton (Chloe East, “The Fabelmans” and the TV series “Liv and Maddie”) is a bit more gentle and innocent, at least that’s what we learn in the first part. The two arrive at the apartment of Mr. Reed (Grant), a nice-looking guy who has shown some interest in the church’s contents. Mr. Reed claims that his wife is in the kitchen, making blueberry pie, and will surely join later (of course!). Then he begins to talk and act like crazy.

Heretic Is Full Of Words, But It Works

On the surface, a horror film full of dialogue sounds like a recipe for trouble or at least some boring stuff. In “Heretic,” surprisingly enough, it worked perfectly for me, especially in the first part. Mr. Reed discusses various topics related to faith and religion as a general concept, rather than focusing on a specific religion.

That’s how we learn, for example, about the poor self-marketing of Judaism, the history of the game Monopoly (which itself gave birth to several horror versions, by the way), and even – about the copyright of Radiohead’s masterpiece “Creep,” the song from the 70s on which it is supposedly based and the lawsuit that Radiohead itself filed against Lana Del Rey for allegedly copying the melody. This is unrelated to the film’s criticism, but I will never miss an opportunity to include the wonderful Radiohead and Lana Del Rey on our website, so here it is.

At some point, the girls suspect something is wrong there. Although the dialogue is witty and the host is exceptionally knowledgeable, the house remains unsettling. The woman doesn’t arrive (how long does it take to make a freaking blueberry pie?), and then the host says some scary things before the girls discover that the house is locked and that there’s a power outage and a host of horror tropes. From this point, without giving too many spoilers, the girls consider escaping at a certain point but discover that they must pass through a frightening space that turns out to be a basement. Like the excellent “Barbarian,” which began as a mini romantic comedy with great dialogue and chemistry between the characters, but evolves into something else after descending into the basement, “Heretic” takes on a twist after visiting the cellar. Because there’s something scary in the basement, maybe even supernatural, related to the woman there.

How Scary Is Heretic?

The plot of “Heretic” operates on several levels. There is the story of the girls’ survival in the creepy guy’s house, a narrative we’ve already seen in many movies. There is also the mystery of what happens in the basement, a question whose answer is also related to faith or some supernatural phenomenon.

In other words, and without giving spoilers, in a way that reminded me quite a bit of “Longlegs,” we ask whether behind the actions that occur here under the surface is only a crazy person, or perhaps there is a supernatural mystery here. The answer may teach us something about faith, religion, and philosophy (for example, the “Simulation hypothesis” or the questions of what makes a religion what it is and what is the common denominator between all faiths).

The good news is that in contrast to some of the movies we’ve seen about a mystery that is in the basement or wherever it may be under the house, like the average “Cellar Door” we reviewed recently, “Heretic” actually gave us answers to most of the questions, with a few points to think about. It’s a shame that there were a few holes in the plot or at least a few moments that the film’s inner world could explain better.

Essentially, and this isn’t a spoiler (I hope!), Mr. Reed wants to test the young women’s faith and does some extreme things to achieve his goal. The film’s process also transforms it from a philosophical thriller into a fairly generic yet well-made horror film. In my opinion, the film missed the mark in its attempt to engage the viewer with whether what we’re seeing is real, and certainly with more profound questions of faith and religion. I accepted most of the twists, both on a narrative and emotional level, with equanimity. The film’s transition between genres could have been done more smoothly in this respect, or it may be aimed at the horror audience from the start, who enjoy consuming content that also deals with more theological or philosophical issues.

Actresses You Should Remember

In some of the reviews I read about “Heretic,” an issue quite typical of films with a similar narrative structure was raised: its different parts are not even in content and quality. The truth is, I’m a little divided on this question because the various parts come together nicely, even though something was missing.

I found myself quite anxious about the fate of the girls, also because the young Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East gave an outstanding performance, and not for the first time (I wouldn’t be surprised if Thatcher becomes a kind of “Final Girl,” “Screen Queen,” or whatever you call an actress who is mainly associated with the horror genre). The two build interesting characters that are not superficial (yay!) and behave rationally and wisely at most times, even if some might argue that they become flatter in the last part of the film and act like typical victims in a typical horror film, for better or worse.

Of course, there are a few moments here where the sane viewer says something like, “God forbid, what the hell are you doing, you %$%$#^# Mormon! What’s wrong with you? Where the hell is your brain? Did you leave it in the church?”, but they are pretty few. As the girls connect the dots with their theories, we realize that each character is well-written with heads on their shoulders.

The Hugh Grant Show

Hugh Grant received most of the superlatives, and quite rightly so because he created a character here who is quite scary, both when she speaks and when she is silent. On the surface, Grant’s task of appearing as “the neighborhood charming man” at first seems quite simple because, after all, it is Hugh Grant. He is charming by nature, and in the film, he wears glasses and a sweater, which, as is known, is mainly worn by sympathetic characters in cinema. It’s hard not to come to the film knowing in advance that Grant is the “bad guy” here, and his character is gradually built up quite successfully until the film’s final act.

Grant received his seventh Golden Globe nomination for this role (he also won once, for “Four Weddings and a Funeral” in 1995), and the superlatives he received are certainly on point. Don’t expect a head-to-toe, crazy performance like Nicolas Cage in “Longlegs,” nor a chilling, emotionally charged performance like Demi Moore in “The Substance” (speaking of a veteran actress reinventing herself in an acclaimed horror film), but Grant does his job excellently. He seems to enjoy the role because who wouldn’t love to sing Radiohead through speakers to the ears of scared girls locked in the dark basement of your isolated house?

Will Heretic Make You Fear God?

Speaking of basements, we should remember that we are still talking about a horror movie here: and not just any horror movie, but a movie from A24, perhaps the hottest production company in horror cinema today (“Talk to Me,” “Hereditary,” “Midsommar”) and also general and less interesting cinema (“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Civil War,” “Moonlight,” “Lady Bird”). A24’s films manage to combine mostly positive reviews with box office success, and “Heretic” is no different. The film, with a relatively tiny budget of just under $10 million, grossed a handsome $59 million: not a hysterical blockbuster, but certainly an impressive amount for a small film with a limited location and cast, dealing with a “boring” subject like religion and faith, not topics that the average horror fan would be happy to be exposed to while drinking a cup of tea, eating blueberry pie, and watching a horror movie on a rainy day.

“Heretic” received excellent reviews from professional critics, scoring 91% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and a weighted critic score of 71 on Metacritic. Some argue that these scores are exaggerated because the film is slow, too heavy on dialogue, and doesn’t offer much on paper in terms of horror; some say in terms of what’s happening on the screen. If you put all the elements together, I think the hype about it is quite justified, at least if you are a fan of relatively slow films that try to build an atmosphere of tension (partially successfully) and also say something about our world (as above).

The directors and writers, Scott Beck and Brian Woods, have recently gained prominence in the horror genre. They wrote and produced the excellent first “A Quiet Place” and the mediocre “The Boogeyman,” and were also responsible for directing several other enjoyable films (“Haunt” from the very enjoyable subgenre of horror attractions that have come to life, “65” with Adam Brody and a somewhat problematic Found Footage film called “Nightlight”). “Heretic” is perhaps their most serious film, for better or worse. There is a meticulous script, well-made characters, and a particular atmosphere of tension and mystery, which is, in itself, “good.” However, the film is also slow, uneven in quality between parts, and includes some scares that are somewhat cheap and not particularly effective, hence the “bad”.

It’s hard to say that “Heretic” will evoke extreme dread. On the other hand, as a well-made horror thriller, with excellent performances by the cast, a tense atmosphere, some surprising revelations, and even an engagement with some essential questions, this is one of the more interesting and fine films we’ve seen in the past year.

Heretic (2024) – Frequently Asked Questions

Who Directed Heretic? Scott Beck and Brian Woods directed the film.

Who plays in Heretic? The cast of Heretic includes Hugh Grant as the bad guy, Sophie Thatcher and Carol East as the two Mormon missionaries who got trapped in his madness, and Topher Grace in a relatively minor role.

Who wrote Heretic?: Duo Scott Beck and Brian Woods also wrote the screenplay for the film.

How long is Heretic? 111 minutes

Where was Heretic filmed? United States, Canada

What languages are spoken in Heretic? English

When was Heretic released?: The official release date of the film was November 8, 2024. It was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September of that year.

What was the budget of Heretic? Less than $10 million

How much did Heretic gross? The movie earned approximately $59 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

What is the MPAA rating (Parents Guide) of the film? R

What do the reviews say about Heretic?

Heretic got some pretty good reviews! On IMDB, it has a 7.0 Rating. 91% of the professional critics on “Rotten Tomatoes” gave it a positive review.

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