A24, known for its wacky and all-encompassing horror films, recently released its newest addition: Heretic. Directed and written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the film follows the classic style of the cat-and-mouse horror movie as the two protagonists, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), attempt to escape from the clutches of the antagonist, Mr Reed (Hugh Grant). The film raises several questions about the concept of there being one true religion, leading audiences to question their beliefs as they depart the comfort of the cinema. The film was by no means groundbreaking in its explorations of religion raised by Grant’s character, instead it tried to connect to an everyday audience’s queries about faith. This elevated the film above the usual horror films that are commercially released around Halloween each year.
Grant was mesmerising as Mr Reed, stepping out of his usual bumbling British rom-com lead role. He is a complex character, as—despite the truly evil strain that runs within him—you can’t help but connect or agree with him while he uses Monopoly metaphors to try and make sense of the different religious teachings. By incorporating Monopoly, a board game many of us are subject to at Christmas time, the film contrasts the domestic with the demonic. Only a scene later, our two protagonists are locked in his dark and ghostly basement and greeted by an emaciated figure whom Mr Reed claims to be a real-life prophet. At this point, the somewhat rational statements he was making go out the window, and we are faced with his insane attempts to prove his theories.
As the film reaches its climax, East’s character, a young Mormon girl, defies Mr Reed’s cynicism, saying: “I think it’s beautiful that we pray for each other even though we know it probably doesn’t work”. This is a wonderfully poetic line for a horror movie with many gruesome plot twists, demonstrating a deeper level than just the adrenaline-rush roller-coaster ride of most other horror films. Chloe East was excellent in this film as she captured this slightly awkward but happy girl and successfully captured the audience’s attention.
Credit goes to Beck and Woods’s writing, as the pace and rhythm of the film particularly stood out by not relying only on jumpscares to keep an audience interested. There were many good jumpscares, but the film’s structure and dialogue weren’t discarded in the process, resulting in a well crafted horror film that’s perfect for those wanting something different.