Part of my love of heretic is that I see A LOT of film. When you see A LOT of film, you run by Angel Studio offerings from time to time. They’re awful. Every single one of them. Yeah, there are degrees of awful, but all of them take up oxygen from films that entertain and educate. In every Angel Studio film, the answer is: “Christian God.” No matter the question. No serious discussion of theology or power or influence or afterlife or any relevant question one needs answered. In fact, other religions are rarely discussed. God is Jesus. Jesus is God. Everything is good. One star.
Hence, you’ll forgive me if I’m a tad excited about Heretic, a horror film that takes a little time to discuss theology before Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) takes kidnapping to another level.
Representing “good” in this tale of innocent v. scoundrel are two Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East). They are making their rounds in cold northern town as night is about to fall. Their last stop is Mr. Reed, a curious Englishman who likes to talk religion and play games.
Let me state right here that Mormonism is hooey. Well, let’s face it: all religion is hooey. Every faith is about power and control. If you’re learning that from me right now, I am very sorry for you. Good luck. Seriously. I’m not saying there’s no God; I am simply saying that organized religion precludes the notion of a benevolent God. But there are levels to the hooey, and Mormonism is at a hooey level so advanced with such a ridiculous origin story that it boggles the mind that said church has followers.
[I will soften my remarks here by stating that many followers do not believe their own religion is hooey, which is fine so long as they advocate for peace, justice, and kindness. Acting good is a good thing. Always. No matter how you get there. Voting and advocating for President Trump is the very opposite of a good thing. Asshole.]
By LDS law, the Sisters aren’t allowed to enter the house of a lone male unless his wife is present. Mr. Reed gets around this by insisting his wife is baking a blueberry pie. A game ensues in
which Mr. Reed dominates the conversation by introducing concepts about the origin of Christianity and the ties to other religions all within the context of Mormonism while his two guests are at a loss. And when they get suitably uncomfortable, they realize two things: 1) Mr. Reed has no wife. He’s lied about a bunch of things, and 2) they cannot leave, not physically, at least. And the house itself is wired to be cell resistant. The Sisters are forced to play his game whether they want to or not.
There’s a point at which Mr. Reed compares Christianity to Monopoly (with props, no less), which is nothing short of priceless. I could love Heretic for the punchline alone. There isn’t a lot of humor in this film, obviously, but when it is used, it’s done effectively. The same could be said about the horror.
Heretic reminds me most of The Menu, another highbrow horror where the mundane is transformed into awful. As the face of classic villainy, nobody thinks of Hugh Grant as Christopher Lee or Bela Lugosi, and perhaps that’s the effectiveness of the horror here. Mr. Reed is, seemingly, a normal guy, and at the same time, he’s one of the best villains in 2024 film.
There once were two girls on a mission
Who got stuck in precarious position
For they entered a home
Where evil did roam
And could not leave by volition
Rated R, 111 Minutes
Director: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Writer: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Genre: “Come into my parlor …”
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Fans of horror, theology critiques
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: “I don’t even like Hugh Grant when he’s playing a good guy”
