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From the start of cinema history, religion has left a great deal of impact on the iconography present within the horror genre. That alone might be a perfect way of setting up what you are to find in Heretic, a horror movie that plays games based on how strongly do we find ourselves believing in our own convictions – whether we’re religious, atheists, or agnostics. But what writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods show you is that something more innately terrifying can come from how one chooses to follow their own devotions, and that’s where all the fun in watching a film like Heretic can come about.

Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East portray Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, two Mormon missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As the two of them go about to spread the good news as they go door-to-door, they also stumble across the home of the peculiar Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who is more than eager to entertain the two missionaries regarding their own beliefs, given his knowledge of all the world’s major religions. Yet his idea of entertaining the two missionaries contains something more sinister underneath, as he’s willing to test their devotion to their church for as long as they stay inside his home.

Because most of the fun from Heretic comes forth in guessing where exactly this film will go next, it’s hard enough to write a piece about it that doesn’t spoil any of the surprises. But that’s exactly why you’ll want to watch Heretic anyway, for writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have successfully capture the feeling of watching a chamber piece that focuses primarily on its three main players, all of whom are delivering excellent work as they bounce off each other. In particular, it’s Hugh Grant who seems to be having the most fun, utilizing the charming persona which he’s cultivated from his screen presence in romantic comedies from his early career to portray a cunning horror villain too.

Visually, it’s also a very stunning piece at that – utilizing a very small space as it’s mostly set within the peculiar Mr. Reed’s house, yet we’re seeing that this home has a whole lot more to it than what meets the eye. Beck and Woods make the most out of such a space in order to create some truly disorienting imagery, brought forth by cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon (a mainstay for legendary South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook), to create the unsettling atmosphere that feels so perfect for a home belonging to someone set on playing a mind game. Yet, given the film’s title, it also perfectly highlights the thematic hook, built around heretical ideas of religion and devotion, and where they can lead someone.

Where Heretic gets really interesting though, comes from the discussions it wishes to incite about religion’s influence on the general population. Of course, it’s easy enough to communicate this for most audiences through the lens of Christianity, noting how it is arguably one of, if not the single most universally recognized religion across the globe. Yet Judaism is a much older religion at that, supposedly in Mr. Reed’s eyes as the “original” religion, and yet it doesn’t sell nearly as well as Christianity does. With this in mind, it also becomes a perfect test for our two leads to see how much they really stand by their own beliefs, knowing what they preached through their lives – so it’s where the excitement starts to ramp up.

Alas, I think that the film’s dialogue-heavy buildup might as well be where Heretic finds itself at its best. In part it’s because of how it really sets up these discussions before it turns out it’s all just a mind game going forth, but once things start happening, it starts to overexplain the circumstances to degrees that hurt the film more often than not. At a certain point, it feels like the many surprises coming forth are inevitably spoiled by that overdone exposition, not to a point where the the whole movie is ruined, but to a point where the outcome feels expected.

Still, I think that the sum of its parts result in a wholly entertaining ride. It’s always fun watching Hugh Grant chew up the scenery every chance he has, but directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have lots of fun playing games with the viewers that translate into suspense. Yet underneath all of that, it’s also rather funny too – perhaps where you’d least expect it to be. All the best elements of Heretic amount to a very fun movie on the whole, one that maybe congratulates itself a bit too much for its own good, but it’s still fun.

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Watch the trailer right here.

All images via A24.

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Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Screenplay by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Produced by Stacey Sher, Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, Julia Glausi, Jeanette Volturno
Starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East
Premiere Date: September 8, 2024 (Toronto)
Running Time: 111 minutes