From the directors of A Quiet Place, Heretic is a thrilling horror film that leaves the audience on the edge of their seat as Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) takes sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and sister Paxton (Chloe East) on a journey into understanding the truth about religion.
Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton are two young Mormon missionaries following their daily route to spread the gospel of “our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” as they mention to people they meet on the street. Their goal is to convert as many people as possible to Mormonism. As they go around their area, they get a message about Mr. Reed, who requested to get more information about the Mormon Church. Mr. Reed is an elderly man and a former theologist, who proceeds to lure Barnes and Paxton into a fatal game that is supposed to teach the two young women about the truth behind all of the worlds religious teachings.
The shining star of Heretic is without a doubt Hugh Grant with his performance of a controlling and obsessive theologist, who is determined to prove his point at any cost. His character balances and switches between a good-hearted elderly professor and an example of hospitality to a manipulative academic who uses Barnes and Paxton as his study subjects about faith and why people are religious. He uses quirky metaphors from pop culture, board games and mythology from different parts of the ancient world to lay out his theory on religion’s validity. He does all of that in a humoristic way, making the audience smile and even smirk in between the uncanny long silences sprinkled across the entire film.
When it comes to sister Barnes and sister Paxter, their role is quickly relegated to that of a plot device. This is not an issue for Heretic as both Paxter and Barnes are symbolic characters representing the different types of religious people – Paxter is a born and raised Mormon from a family of ten, while Barnes became part of the Mormon Church when her mother converted after her father passed away. Their symbolic function makes it possible for Scott and Woods to emphasise their thematic point and to explore the character dynamics.
Mr. Reed has the upper hand in the entire situation from the very beginning, which shown by his strange behaviour, locked doors, metal in the walls removing any means of communication with the outside world. As Paxton and Barnes realise that they are essentially trapped by Reed, the tension and suspense build up – audience does not know what will happen next as they are put into the same position as the two missionaries, helpless captives in Mr. Reed’s game of truth.
The film shows a range of good acting performance from the main trio. Thatcher and East are not outshined much by Hugh Grant, who is an actor with a career spanning many films. Both actresses give a performance that is realistic in a very organic way, they actually seem to live in their roles throughout the runtime of Heretic which has become a rarity in modern film, to the point where it seems like a lost art. It is refreshing to see new faces committing to the roles and taking the time to become the characters they are given. Their efforts created compelling characters that remain interesting from the beginning to the end.
When it comes to the technical aspects of the film, Heretic uses a lot of the horror genre clichés, such as underexposed photography, slow dolly and panoramic shots, that create a creeping, chilling sensation in the viewer. This combined with the low score or simply pure silence, makes the audience uncanny – because it makes them alert at all times. As at the beginning nothing strange happens, that silence and ticking of clocks, sets the tone and creates discomfort, further confirmed by the women missionaries’ behaviour and desire to leave Mr. Reed’s house. To contrast that, Hugh Grant is smiling, smirking and occasionally joking. The use of music together with the performances create a clear line between the protagonists and the villain. Otherwise, the cinematography is kept minimalistic but effective, every shot has a purpose and invokes a desired emotion in the audience. This is yet another reason why Heretic is such a compelling watch.
Heretic is a horror film that takes the audience on the journey through faith and spirituality that thrills from the opening dialogue to the last scene. The viewer together with sisters Barnes and Paxton is experiencing the spiritual doubts as Mr. Reed presents his findings from studying various religions and their narrative themes. The camera that closely follows every action and choice makes it impossible for the audience to catch a break from the unravelling events and emotions on the screen. All in all, Heretic is a horror classic in the making that disserves all the praise it can get both from the horror fans and a casual cinema goer. The film will be available in Norwegian cinemas from 29th of November.
