Running Time: 110 minutes
This film from A24 opens exclusively in theaters on November 8th.
Ever get a knock at the door and answer it, only to find someone unexpectedly attempting to sell you a product, or convert you to their religion? It seems like the makers of the new horror picture Heretic are familiar with this experience. They have decided to try and turn the tables on these unwanted interlopers to a mostly dark and amusingly horrific effect.
Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are young members of the Church of Latter-day Saints and are attempting to do duty and convert locals to their faith. The Mormon teens take their list of possible new members and head door-to-door to convince them to join. They arrive at the exceedingly polite Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who does profess to be interested in learning more about the religion. He coaxes them to come inside his home for a drink and some pie while listening to their pitch. The ladies accept, but soon find their views being challenged with more and more passion by the host. They attempt to leave, but quickly realize that the well-manned man may actually have ulterior motives and sinister plans.
This is a small picture with only three major characters and one central locale, so much of it is dependent on the cast. Thankfully, they all shine. Hugh Grant is clearly having a great time with his role, slowly moving from utmost civility and manners, to verbally poking and prodding his guests. As his questions become complex and tougher to answer, he becomes bolder in his claims, before turning into a threatening presence. And despite being a baddie, he’s full of wit, using funny analogies, including board games and the music of the 60s band The Hollies to try and assert his claims.
Younger cast members Thatcher and East are also solid and hold their own. Despite their intrusive task, the screenplay does show them being treated poorly by others, gaining the characters some sympathy. Early on, viewers see that one of them is a deeper believer than the other, which adds some contrast between them and in the way they respond to Mr. Reed’s queries. The pair also manage to try and argue back with their host in different ways, adding entertaining back and forth between all the participants.
The first hour of the picture is a great deal of fun when focused on the awkward and occasionally vaguely threatening conversations between the three. However, things do suffer slightly when more about Mr. Reed is revealed and the story takes a more conventional turn. It begins resorting to standard horror tropes and the antagonist loses his sharpness. While these later sequences are effectively tense and well-put together, it all begins to feel familiar by the final act. Mr. Reed’s backstory also leads to questions regarding the set-up of his home, and how he has been able to partake in his activities so successfully for so long.
But these are fairly common issues in horror pictures. And while the philosophical discussions/arguments are thrown aside for a more typical showdown, the movie does manage to ask questions about the devotion of its protagonists and the negative aspects of religious power and worship. The movie has ideas and attempts to address them in a darkly amusing manner, which is more than can be said of many similar pictures.
Heretic probably wouldn’t have worked nearly as well without its stellar cast, but all of the performers are exceptional. They’re a blast to watch, so while the movie doesn’t quite transcend the genre, it does deliver the creepy goods and horror enthusiasts may want to hear this story out.