There’s nothing scarier than someone aware of themselves. Writer/director duo Bryan Woods (“A Quiet Place,” “65”) and Scott Beck (“A Quiet Place,” “65”) know this, clearly, which is why a film like “Heretic” exists. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to be menacing in this kind of way without being absolutely in control of everything going on, and it takes a skilled and smart person to even attempt to craft a puzzle box as devious as this one. Let’s just hope the solution to said puzzle box is actually a satisfying one.
The film follows Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, played by Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets,” “The Boogeyman”) and Chloe East (“The Fablemans,” “Genera+ion”) respectively, two Mormon missionaries who travel to the house of Mr. Reed, played by Hugh Grant (“Love Actually,” “Paddington 2”), after he requests more information about their faith. Shortly after being invited inside, they learn that he’s been lying to them about things like the presence of his wife, a pie baking, and his lack of knowledge about religion. He instead has trapped them inside in order to test his own theories on religion and faith, using them as test subjects.
It cannot be stated enough that, in a world full of overly violent and gory slashers, the fact that Beck and Woods are so committed to slowing the pace of this terrifying tale is a testament ot their vision. It really does work too, successfully crafting a thick sense of dread the permeates through the entire film. Doubly so when it becomes apparent just how much of the film is just dialogue; just Sister Barnes and Paxton talking and listening to Reed’s somewhat demented ramblings.
Grant’s performance makes the film what it is, as he is essentially the central and most interesting character. His is a role that’s constantly changing and unfolding, a puzzle box of a person just as much as his scheme is. There’s a fascination that bleeds through, he’s less of a horror villain and much closer to just being an antagonist, and it further deepens the film’s ideas. Thatcher and East are perfect together, selling a sisterly bond that cements the film’s emotional throughline.
Reed’s house is a feat of production design as well, built and filled out like a magnificent kind of mystery abode. There are subsequently too many details and yet not enough, working as a place that seems borderline cartoonish in its construction and yet also terrifyingly real. It’s all shot with plenty of gruesome closeups and details by cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon (“Oldboy (2003),” “IT (2017)”). Yet there are just as many deliberately paced long sweeping shots that create a sense of dread even as they’re clearly meant to just showcase the environment.
However, as fascinating as “Heretic” is, there’s a stark change in the third act that finds the film drifting. It goes from being an interesting debate on religion and horror in general to a far more standard modern horror affair. It deflates much of the previously established tension and ends up ending in a far more generic way that the first 75% of the film would lead you to believe. It doesn’t even necessarily feel intentional either, almost as if Beck and Woods simply ran out of material or couldn’t think of a way to end things to line up with their previously established themes.
“Heretic” is still a lot of fun, even if it falters in its last act. That last act still keeps the same fantastic production design, camera work, and performances from its central trio. It just ends up deflating the movie’s themes in favor of a more standardized horror film third act conclusion. It’s disappointing but doesn’t ruin the film as a whole. It just leaves you wanting more given how fantastic of a start it gets off to. 3.5/5
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