Hugh Grant turns in a delightfully sinister performance in this slow burn psychological fanfare.
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There’s nothing quite as terrifying as having your faith shaken. How many of us can truly stand our ground when put in the hot seat?
A24 puts that to the test with its latest horror offering, Heretic. Directed by the writing duo behind A Quiet Place and The Boogeyman, the film stars Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East and Topher Grace.
Thatcher and East play two Mormon missionaries – Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton respectively – who attempt to convert the reclusive Mr. Reed (Grant).
The impending snowstorm plays perfectly into the Englishman’s plans as he invites the pair into his home for shelter so they can discuss their religion further. He tells the girls his wife is presently baking a blueberry pie and assures them of her presence when they inform him they cannot enter his home unless another woman is present.
Only when inside does Mr. Reed’s friendly and charming persona changes when he begins to comment on the girls' faith and the nature of belief. Seemingly uncomfortable, the girls decide to speed up their process so they can leave. When Mr. Reed momentarily steps out of the room, Sister Barnes realises the scent of blueberry pie was actually coming from a burning candle right under their noses, indicating that there may not be a Mrs. Reed after all. This is enough to send the girls packing without so much of a goodbye but their escape is unfortunately thwarted when they discover the front door locked and phones signaless.
Mr. Reed reappears and tells them they have the choice to leave, only to lead them to a choice of two doors to leave through: one if they still believe in God, and one if they do not. He claims to have found the "one true religion" and gives a menacing argument that all religions are merely adaptations of one another, making comparisons to pop culture examples such as the origin stories of the Monopoly board game and the song “Creep” by Radiohead. Sister Barnes rejects his claims and chooses to enter the "Belief" door, only to discover both doors lead to the same dungeon.
The surface horrors of the film aren’t something genre fans haven’t seen before – there’s loads of dimly lit scenes setting the tone, a decrepit woman spewing black bile and even a dark scary basement that just screams “run!”. The film is uniquely crafted with an articulate set design that confines its characters the way the true horror of Heretic is confined within our minds. Each ticking moment is made all the more harrowing with Chris Bacon’s almost absent and eery score.
Thatcher’s Sister Barnes is seemingly the more defiant and headstrong of the two – catching on quick to Mr. Reed’s farce and putting up a stronger front to disregard him – while East compliments that with her more innocent and timid Sister Paxton, who unassumingly grows into a textbook final girl. The easygoing charm Grant exudes into his character at the start of the film reminisces his past work as Hollywood's go-to leading man for romcoms but it's his slow transition into the ominous villain of this story that proves the actor's range. Not since Paddington 2 have we seen Grant having this much fun with a role and that in itself makes the film more engaging.
Directors Beck and Woods also share writing credit here, delivering a much talkier script compared to A Quiet Place. While it’s no Sorkin-level greatness, Heretic boasts many interesting points worth mulling over. It’s apparent the duo had fun incorporating modern day pop culture into their analogies on centuries old religions but the off-hand mention of The Book of Mormon musical was an easy favourite of ours.
Heretic is a slow burn psychological fanfare that may leave viewers questioning their own faith if not more. Its intentional ambiguity makes the film far more sinister than most horror films you've ever seen. Any film that leaves viewers pondering beyond the credit roll is a film worth watching.
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