Heretic-2024
Director Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East
Scott’s Review #1,470
Reviewed March 13, 2025
Grade: B+
Heretic (2024) is a terrifying and thoroughly compelling horror film co-directed and written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. The pair most notably wrote the story for and co-wrote A Quiet Place (2018).
The premise of Heretic is rich in scariness, and the screenplay questions and challenges religion and the expected thought process of organized religion, targeting Mormons. It’s a thinking man’s horror film and hardly superfluous, like many genre films over the years.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much meaning the film had in addition to fantastic, traditional horror elements.
Two young missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by an initially kindly but ultimately diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant).
They become ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
Things get off to a perilous start when the pair embark on their bicycles for their next stop in a small town in the United States. They are mocked by a group of teenage girls while an impending snowstorm hovers in the sky.
What could go wrong when Mr. Reed offers the girls a warm living room and a wonderfully smelling blueberry pie his wife is baking in an unseen kitchen?
We, the audience, of course know that things will turn grim. It’s a question of when.
At first, Mr. Reed seems nice enough. Engaging the missionaries in innocent questions like their favorite fast food restaurants and stories of rock and roll makes the inquiries deeper and deeper, questioning their religious beliefs.
The most intriguing part of this process is that he makes good points. He educates the girls about the incarnation of the board game Monopoly and that religions are just recreations of other religions kept up to date.
Isn’t it all bullshit?
When he challenges them to choose between two luminous cellar doors things go batshit crazy.
I continue to be impressed when I see the ‘A24’ logo cross the screen. The independent production company specializes in high-caliber horror films with merit, and Heretic is no exception.
The winning formula is that the tension builds slowly and carefully. As the girls go deeper and deeper into the vast house, they have less chance to escape.
When Mr. Reed claims the locked front door cannot be unlocked until morning, the girls and the audience feel dread.
Once the poster boy for cute romantic comedies playing the hero, Hugh Grant has reached an age where he is willing to go full-throttle into character actor roles. His quick British charm and wit make Mr. Reed even more terrifying.
Playing against type, his cheery yet chilly demeanor is scarier than going for full-on crazy. His running tangents about theology scare, confuse, and challenge the girls.
Grant’s charm, gleaming blue eyes, and kind smile make him a creepy villain. He exudes trust, and we want to trust him, so seeing him play maniacal is a delight.
Thatcher and East are well cast as the Sisters, though I’m more partial to Thatcher’s character as she is the more non-believing and has more charisma than East. She’s also the stronger character more willing to stand up to Reed.
Like many horror films, the elements make the movie what it is. The first-hour setup is simply brilliant. The storm, the warm blueberry pie, and the intricately structured mouse maze-like house with creaks, dark stairways, and cellars all come into play.
Religious horror is creepy, and an attempted resurrection propels the story.
Like many horror films, the conclusion isn’t as good as the buildup. The logic involved in the more minor character’s motivations isn’t mainly explained or believable.
Beck and Woods, supported by A24, create a simple yet eccentric tale set in essentially one lonely house on one lonely night. They prove that a lavish budget or bells and whistles can’t replace a gripping, well-written story with intelligent dialogue.
Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Screenplay
