'Heretic' Review: Hugh Grant Force Mormons to Attend His Anti-Religious TED Talk in Sharp A24 Horror
The titular Indian Hindu-raised man in Yann Martel's novel, Life of Pi, decides to broaden his religious perspective by switching to Islam and Christianity to feel closer to God. In the latest frightful film from A24, titled Heretic, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods create an anti-Pi character named Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) who, instead of loving God more after studying every religion, conducts a prison experiment in his home. As a recovering former Jehovah’s Witness, I picked up what Beck and Woods were putting down. Needless to say, Heretic got me saying, “Hell yes!” to anti-religious Hugh Grant.
Image copyright (©) Courtesy of A24
R: For some bloody violence
Runtime: 1 Hr and 50 Minutes
Production Companies: Beck/Woods, Catchlight Studios, Shiny Penny
Distributor: A24
Directors: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Writers: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Cast: Hugh Grant, Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher, Topher Grace
Release Date: November 8, 2024
Teenage Mormon missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, self-willed Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and cheerful Sister Paxton (Chloe East) head to the house of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), a client who called their church to hear information about the good word of Jesus Christ. In line with Mormon standards, they can't head into his house unless another woman is present. He convinces them his wife is home, and she has blueberry pie in the oven. Coupled with a steady downpour, the sisters enter his house. He seems to be interested in hearing their faith-based spiel at first. But once he makes a rebuttal about religion that makes the teen missionaries uncomfortable, he leaves the room, and the sisters try to leave. However, Mr. Reed has skillfully transformed his residence into a maze, locking them inside. He forces them to play his “escape room” while expressing his disdain for every religion in the book. As the situation worsens, Barnes and Paxton must use their smarts to challenge Reed and safely escape.
Heretic is a significant departure for Beck and Woods, whose previous efforts like A Quiet Place and The Boogeyman resided in mainstream horror (Editors Note: They also did Haunt, which wasn't mainstream per se but it was lowkey pretty good for a smaller project). The duo strives for higher aspirations in attitude and craft by sacrificing cheap thrills for intellectual precision. And surprisingly, they are successful in this. They shed a refined philosophical-driven interest in pointing out religious hypocrisy (Christianity, Hinduism, Catholicism) through an engaging sociopathic lead and the missionaries he's projecting his self-importance on, and it's thoroughly thought-provoking.
If John Kramer from Saw was a raging atheist scorned for giving religion a chance, then became the Jigsaw killer, trapped missionaries, and forced them to play his game, you’d get Mr. Reed. But instead of making grisly traps, he makes you a piece in his board game. Of course, Hugh Grant’s house of horrors with endless claustrophobic corridors, especially as the girls are lost in the maze, gives an energy straight out of a Hunger Games’ Gamemaker imagination. The familiar feeling of confinement from those features is brought by Heretic's production designer Philip Messina, who is also the production designer on all four Hunger Games installments.
Because Mr. Reed is played by Hugh Grant, who is the definition of charming, you're completely absorbed in his entire anti-religious tirade, despite your take on religion. Much like Channing Tatum in Blink Twice, Grant utilizes his distinctive flair in a different role, yet it still works all the same. This is about the second time he's done this – the other being in Paddington 2 – but Mr. Reed is far more twisted and demented than Phoenix Buchanan. Only a performer of Grant's immense talent can sell you on the soapbox Beck and Woods' script details as his performance dictates the mood, charm be damned. As Grant dives deeper into the madness, he puts on an increasingly facetious persona, performing a Jar Jar Binks impression at one point that's legitimately funny while being completely unsettling.
Much of the film's first half is a masterclass in tension building via character writing, as the story forgoes any shortcuts, and the dialogue-driven conversation between Reed and the Mormons carries the atmosphere. Beck and Woods put their money where their mouth is with an intriguing deconstruction and a dissertation on religion's hypocrisy with hilarious analogies when that first dark turn happens.
The three-hander that Heretic provides is beyond Grant's, as Chloe East (The Fabelmans) and Sophie Thatcher (The Boogeyman) showcase their strengths. Thatcher evokes the resilient, authoritative, can-do attitude she's known best for in other roles, like Natalie in Yellowjackets. Then there's Chloe East, best known for being the Jesus freak MVP from The Fabelmans, once again playing a wide-eyed but adorable devout follower. Now she gets to tap into her horror side, sending chills down your spine with her frightfulness over the real-life puzzle game Paxton is forced to play. The camaraderie and shared determination between the two individuals is pulse-pounding.
The bridge of well-developed thrills driven by a psychological game of philosophies surrounding religion is impressive. However, I was disappointed by the lack of bite in their conversations. The script could’ve addressed the overall derivativeness of the concept and origins but played it safe and commercialized the conversation to avoid offending anyone. Beck and Woods maintain the momentum for the most part. Sadly, Heretic’s second half delves into typical horror tropes and gradually loses its grip. It's still a damn good movie, and possibly the strongest of Beck and Woods' career thus far. More of this in the future, please.
With a great trio of performances from Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, and an unsettling Hugh Grant, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ Heretic is a sharp philosophic-based religious thriller that shines in an anti-holy light.
Rating: 3.5/5
