It turns out that the effervescent but neurotic wit and charm that made Hugh Grant an enduring romantic lead actor translates quite well to horror. His disarming villain, an impish type who delights in psychological and theological warfare, elevates Heretic, the latest from writer/director duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (65, Haunt). The self-contained chamber piece gets hung up in its basic lecture on religion, but the smart casting, powerhouse performances, and an infectious sense of humor ensure that it remains engaging.
Mormon missionaries Sister Barnes (The Boogeyman‘s Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) ponder typical teenage things, like condom sizes or whether they fit in with their peers, before they continue to work their way down the assigned list of potential converts. That brings them to the door of Mr. Reed (Grant), a warm, neighborly type who invites the pair inside just as a storm arrives. With promises of homemade pie and a safe female presence, the girls reluctantly enter, unaware that Mr. Reed has a devious, dangerous game in mind to test their faith.
Heretic hinges upon its performances. The elegantly simple, stageplay-like setup strips quickly trap Barnes and Paxton in Mr. Reed’s small, cozy parlor, where both parties engage in rapid-fire, dialogue-heavy exchanges of life and faith. Mr. Reed bides his time regaling his captive audience by playing devil’s advocate at first, gently testing the boundaries of their beliefs before luring them further into darkness. Grant makes easy work of chewing scenery; this is an unflappable, cunning foe excited by the savviness of his vulnerable prey. The more they push back, the more amused he becomes, wrapping the audience around his fingers even as he spews endless monologues of entry-level theology, complete with pop culture examples for even easier digestion. The use of Monopoly as a visual representation earns a hearty chuckle, even if it is a bit too obvious a metaphor for Grant’s wily game-playing puppeteer.
Thatcher and East make for formidable opponents, at least when it comes to the battle of wits. They both instill rooting interest, even when making obvious missteps toward doom. That speaks to their screen presence and natural charisma, considering the verbose ideological ideas explored at length aren’t all that profound or stimulating. It’s not the twisted game of chess that’s interesting here, but rather the moves each player makes and why.
Philip Messina’s production design also works in the film’s favor. Mr. Reed’s deceptive little home reveals itself piecemeal, peeling back an insidious house of horrors befitting of the gamemaster. The darkly lit corridors and dingy, fraying corners add depth and dimension to a surface-level narrative, lending foreboding gloom and twisty surprises. In a dialogue-focused feature that opts for dread over scares, Messina’s production design does the heavy lifting for the horror.
That’s not to say that Heretic doesn’t have a few surprises in store, but those moments are fleeting and undermined by its superficial societal and religious observations. Belief or disbelief becomes a moot question by the film’s end, and logic stumbles the further Beck and Woods corner their characters. Their claustrophobic cat-and-mouse game is reliant on its fiery exchanges; it’s a verbal sparring match of a movie. While those exchanges are never as profound as they claim, the three performers manage to keep you in their grip all the same. Heretic is a movie that’s ultimately carried on the back of its villain, and Grant’s daffy, amused portrayal of Mr. Reed might be enough to make you a convert.
Heretic made its world premiere at TIFF and releases in theaters on November 15, 2024.
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