HERETIC
Starring: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East
Directors: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
NICK
I believe your enjoyment of Heretic will be closely linked with how religious you happen to be. Right off the top, the film unabashedly dissects religion as it attempts to challenge or affect not just the characters, but the viewer. Had this been the entire movie, my rating would have gone up a reel. Also, Hugh Grant is devilishly good, which is why the opening act works as well as it does. It’s when the film devolves into more traditional horror that it doesn't work quite as well. It’s still a very good, enjoyable film, but it can’t quite keep its early momentum.
ADRIANO
At its best, Heretic presents a wonderfully tense chamber piece with fascinating conversations about religion. Writer/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods show off their horror talents when, even in seemingly mundane conversations, something obviously sinister is under the surface. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East are great, but it is Hugh Grant's deceptive politeness that blew me away. That said, when the movie gets into the back half, it gets a bit too silly. The conversations in the first half struck a good line between silly and intense, but when it leaned too hard into horror, I felt the impact lessen.
QUENTIN
In Heretic, the villain, played by a disarmingly deranged and against-type Hugh Grant, poses questions and tests of faith to two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, both excellent). On premise alone, I had extremely high hopes because I love anything that deconstructs religion. Thankfully, the film delivers. While it isn’t “scary” in the traditional sense, it is a powder keg of tension and palpable suspense, featuring deceptively menacing dialogue and thought-provoking questions. In what has been a strong year for horror, Heretic proves to be one of 2024’s best. I’m not sure it works with anyone else but Grant, though.
KATIE
The best thing about Heretic is Hugh Grant’s deliciously sinister performance, but even his fiendish charm could not sustain the film’s muddled premise and contrived plot. The religious discourse is rudimentary at best, which is disappointing since the film positions itself to make some interesting or challenging assertions. Instead, it reminded me of class debates I’d have in my A-level theology lessons. The narrative choices in the second half of the film curtail the psychological intensity that’s established early on, and, frustratingly, it moves into the familiar horror territory of torturing young women, leaving me underwhelmed.
PAIGE
While writers/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ screenplay does a fantastic job presenting some interesting thoughts and ideas on religion in Heretic, I felt that this tense cat-and-mouse thriller lacked a clear climatic moment that really challenged its viewers. Having said that, Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East play off each other extremely well, and Hugh Grant is commanding in every scene he’s in. Nonetheless, the film has an intriguing premise that, regardless of your religious beliefs, will leave most walking out with an unchanged outlook.
PRESTON
The religious musings and theological debates that dominate most of Heretic are particularly engaging, but require the viewer to also have had some type of religious experience, familiarity of skeptic ideas, or at least some interest in existential thought processes. I wish the movie would have committed to the thrilling tension that is built expertly through the opening acts, but it tends to fizzle as it tries to wrap up its dichotomous message. Hugh Grant is really the true revelation here, as he uses his charismatic nature to twist his victims’ minds with the audience also firmly in tow.
This film was reviewed by Nick, Adriano, and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and 2024 Zurich Film Festival respectively.