'Heretic' is a Tense as Hell Debate Between Belief and Disbelief [Review]

​What faith do you believe in, if any? Why? What makes you so sure it’s the right one? How upsetting would it be to learn that you’ve been wrong all along? If any of those questions make you uncomfortable, then you can expect writers/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ Heretic to have the same effect. The creatives behind such films as A Quiet Place and 65, the filmmakers leave monsters behind for a much more sinister tale about religion and belief vs. disbelief, resulting in two hours of tension-riddled horror that should have audiences walking out the door and contemplating their own views on spirituality.
 
Mormon missionaries Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are true believers who have found themselves on a path of dedication to their church. Hoping to convert a new member, they find themselves in the home of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant). On the surface, he seems to be a well-educated, spiritual man who has chosen his own path of discovering the one true religion. Following a few uncomfortable questions from him that pry into their own faith, the young women attempt to leave, only to find themselves trapped in the older man’s home. Little do they know, they have just become rats in a maze, unwilling participants in an experiment that Mr. Reed believes will prove what the one true religion really is.
 
Personally, I’m agnostic, but I grew up in a Christian, Midwest household. The kind that went to church every Sunday and (wrongly) believes there’s a war on Christmas. So, I know a thing or two about what it’s like to have heated debates over religion. Beck and Woods had those experiences during their own childhoods, and they’ve used them in Heretic to craft a sweat-inducing tale that makes you grip your seat and wait for the worst. Within moments of meeting Mr. Reed, Barnes and Paxton are assaulted by prying questions from the previously charming man that tear into the “why’s” of their beliefs to make them feel foolish. Watching the film is like sitting at a dinner table with people of various religious ideologies where the topic is brought up and all you can do is sit there and watch the fireworks fly. This is less a thrill ride and more of a tense conversational piece where the suspense lies within pointed words and devious manipulation. The filmmakers employ extreme closeups of all three characters to make the audience feel as if we’re right in the middle of them, face to face and caught up in an argument we’d likely rather not have. It makes your heart pound. Your brow sweat. And your mouth dry as Mr. Reed shreds centuries of belief in amusing ways—I did not expect a Jar Jar Binks reference—all while we wait to see how these devout women will react…and how Mr. Reed will test them next.

With such a dialogue heavy chamber piece, it’s important to have an engaging cast, and Heretic’s trio of performers are more than up to the task. Thatcher approaches her role with a quiet strength, a woman who has been lead down her religious path through circumstance and perhaps has doubts, playing beautifully off East’s sweet, bubbly and incredibly devout Sister Paxton. They’re two sides of the same coin, a perfect pair for Mr. Reed’s devilish game. As for his character, well, you have never seen Hugh Grant like this. The prolific actor imbues Mr. Reed with his distinctive charm, only to weaponize it by disarming the audience—as well as the two young women—before letting his mask slip to reveal the creep he really is. There is something so deeply unsettling about the way Grant grins with a twinkle in his eye as he attempts to force the Sisters into terrible situations, all while trying to gaslight them into thinking they have a choice. The claustrophobic setting and shadowy corners of the house only add to the intense trapped feeling that the film forces on the protagonists and audience.
 
And therein lies the intelligence of Heretic. I don’t mean to sound hyperbolic, but I think it would be fair to say that this is Beck and Woods’ smartest script to date. It toys with the audience as much as it does Barnes and Paxton. It gaslights us. Tricks us. Makes us question what is real and what isn’t. The filmmakers leave enough clues that some may guess early on where Mr. Reed is taking them, but this is about the discussion on the way to that terrible destination. Why do we believe what we do? What would we do when confronted with the impossible? Watching the Sisters engage in theological combat with Mr. Reed is half the fun, regardless of where you stand on their position. Some may find it frustrating that the filmmakers themselves don’t take much of a stance when it comes to belief vs. disbelief, but I would argue that that’s how these conversations always go. There is no universal answer, only what is right for each individual person.
 
A tension-heavy experiment in belief vs. disbelief, Heretic is neither a thrill-a-minute scare fest nor a conversational bore. What Beck and Woods have crafted is a fascinating discussion regarding religion that doesn’t wish to answer either side of the debate, instead condemning the abuse of power by those who claim they do have all the answers. Some may wish for the film to take a firmer stance, considering where we are in the world right now, but if you’re willing to go along with it, Heretic takes you to some thought-provoking places.

Heretic arrives in theaters November 8th from A24.

By Matt Konopka