Heretic is a religious psychological thriller that has as much to say about man’s beliefs as it does about giving cerebral thrills. This is a film that dares to ponder why most of humanity believes in any particular organized religion and how far they’re willing to go to prove their belief.
The movie centers on two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who knock on the door of a man who makes an appointment to talk with them. His name is Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant).
Mr. Reed invites the girls into his home and they’re locked in a theological battle that quickly turns uncomfortable for the girls. Mr. Reed has locked the front door and they can’t call for help due to bad phone signals.
Mr. Reed gives the girls a sermon of sorts on how all religions are basically copycats of each other and then offers the girls a choice: There are two doors with the words “Belief” and “Disbelief” written on them. He does this as a test of their faith in their god.
Heretic was written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods who wrote the original A Quiet Place. Here, they find a story and characters that are intrinsically foreboding, and they rely much more on intelligence and motivation rather than jump scares.
Grant gives a charmingly sinister performance as a man who seems innately curious as to why these girls have such a strong belief in their faith and intellectually engages them with questions that are not so easily answered. He even makes parallels between organized religion, fast food, music, and Star Wars.
Thatcher and East deliver the right combination of vulnerability and smarts in order to hopefully outwit Grant’s Mr. Reed, but just when they think they have the edge, he changes the rules of the game. These two actresses are perfectly cast to match Grant’s diabolical demeanor.
Movies like Heretic are the answers to my complaints about the avalanche of faith-based films that are much more about pandering to their target audiences on an emotional level rather than intellectual curiosity. Here, Heretic succeeds where 90% of religious movies nowadays fail spectacularly.
Heretic is not for those expecting a gore fest, but its challenges might lead to a nice dose of cinematic salvation.
Grade: A-
(Rated R for some bloody violence.)
