‘Heretic’ review: A rare misstep in holy terror from A24

Hugh Grant asks “Do you believe?” with a menacing performance, but Heretic suffers from meandering writing.

Questioning your beliefs can be a scary process. You start wondering whether or not the afterlife is there and if it’s not, maybe there’s nothing to look forward to but darkness. Or maybe you start wondering how insignificant your existence is when you hear about the vastness of outer space. Do you reject everything you’ve learned from childhood and just shut down? Does it motivate you to find a new purpose in life, knowing that the time you have to exist is finite? Or, do you ramble incoherently about how religion means nothing and brag about breaking the chains of belief to become a superior being. If it’s the latter, you’ll probably love Heretic.

Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are two Mormons in Utah who just want to share the good word about Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, they’re met with awkward avoidance or ridicule for a TikTok post. That is until they knock on the door of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), a friendly Englishman in a tacky sweater looking to learn more about the good word. With his wife making blueberry pie in the other room, Mr. Reed welcomes the Sisters into his home to discuss the Book of Mormon (the text, not the musical). As Sister Barnes starts noticing little things amiss in this cozy old home, she and Sister Paxton fall into a hostile lecture on belief hosted by Mr. Reed and his sinister intentions.

The annoying atheist

For those wondering, a “heretic” is someone with opinions that go against the beliefs of others and is often seen as a type of social pariah. That term might be out of style today, as those with opposing religious beliefs can be seen as bold individuals challenging outdated norms. But to have a strong (or at least sensible) stance against Christianity or Mormonism or any kind of popular worship, you need feet of steel to hold your ground. Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place, 65), who wrote and directed Heretic, work with clay feet that easily crumble as their movie lays out its thesis.

The script features Mr. Reed having too many long-winded monologues about the history of religion being regurgitated platitudes with no real truth behind it. The wordiness of it all is done in the most “film school freshman” way with allegories about the history of the Monopoly board game and how Radiohead’s “Creep” was allegedly a rip-off of a 1972 song from The Hollies. Even Jar Jar Binks, of all people, is brought up. All of Mr. Reed’s “edgy” commentary on faith and miracles are written like someone trying to copy the pop culture-infused musings of Quentin Tarantino from his 90s heyday, making the ominous villain of Heretic boring and not the least bit threatening.

Even if the movie leads to a message about belief as motivation for the human spirit, its journey isn’t nearly as harrowing as it wants to be. The creaking, cavernous maze in the advertising is just a musty basement and a few creepy tunnels without scares or tense situations for our holy heroines to escape from. Not that Heretic has time to craft something truly heart-pounding, because over an hour of its 111-minute runtime is dedicated to Mr. Reed’s sermons before the Sisters get thrust into their challenge. Even some of the camerawork is askew, with Beck and Woods using jarring movements and angles in the first sitdown between the girls and Mr. Reed. And that doesn’t distract from the tropes of a typical “trapped in a house” thriller (the attempt to escape, close-ups of potential weapons, random characters at the front door nearly spoiling the trap).

Bless this mess

Hard as it may be to believe the terror onscreen, at least the actors make you have a little faith. Thatcher and East make a good odd couple, with the latter nailing the innocent naivete of a typical devout follower. Thatcher does well as the more world-weary of the duo, able the believably challenge the facade of Mr. Reed’s intelligence. She brings a similar steely-eyed presence as Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu, so much so that Thatcher could easily pick up the roles Taylor-Joy turns down for bigger paychecks. The only downside to the two’s performances is not getting a satisfying final confrontation with Mr. Reed.

Speaking of which, Hugh Grant is the main event of Heretic with the charming British actor doing his first major horror role. It’s not so much a transformative role for Grant, but more like a repositioning of his talents. Grant still brings his stuttering English pleasantries to the role of Mr. Reed, but Heretic uses them more as a mask for the monster underneath. While that’s a neat gimmick and Grant’s charisma still looks like effortless work, it’s a shame the script doesn’t give him a darker twist on the character to reveal at the climax.

The bottom line

It’s fitting that Heretic features a man claiming that religions are hollow to the core, considering the movie itself is missing some pieces at its center. The setup is there and the players are willing to endure the heavy topics in the script, yet that same script doesn’t have the emotional wallop or societal challenge it thinks it has. Instead, it’s as if an edgy college student binge-watched Amazing Atheist videos and wrote a thesis paper on why he doesn’t believe in God anymore. Beck and Woods have too many empty platitudes and nothing else to believe in.

Heretic is now playing in theaters everywhere. You can watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of A24 and X. You can read more reviews by Jon Winkler here.