PLOT: Two Mormons (Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher) on a mission knock on the wrong door and find themselves fighting for their lives, faith, and sanity.
REVIEW: Heretic is the latest horror flick from A24, and like many of their genre efforts, it’s a provocative one. Questions of theology and faith are always timely, and much of this diabolical and impressively harsh horror film deals with whether or not – in the face of great conflict – you can maintain your faith or be swayed by both the desire to save your own life and the evidence you’re being presented with.
In this, Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) are young Mormons fulfilling their duties as missionaries by essentially going door-to-door to try to convert people to their faith. Neither is a particular stickler for Mormon theology, with the movie opening with them discussing pornography and condoms, and neither is so naive that they don’t know that many of the people they’re approaching will raise an eyebrow at them.
Of the two, East’s Paxton is younger and more impressionable, while the slightly older Barnes is somewhat more street-smart. Both are excellent, with Thatcher emerging as a future scream queen between this, The Boogeyman, Yellowjackets, and an appearance in MaXXXine. East, who made a big impression in Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, is as delightful as the sunny, optimistic Paxton, having the same manner and vibe Amy Adams did in some of her earlier work, like Junebug.
However, the movie is dominated by Hugh Grant in his first foray into horror. As the initially affable Mr. Reed, he lures the two girls out of a storm by promising them blueberry pie and tells them he has a wife so that the two, who aren’t allowed to be alone with a man, will be more comfortable. His initially friendly questions about Mormonism turn into a more existential debate about philosophy, only for his manner to darken as the girls realize they are his prisoners and may not be able to escape with their lives.
It’s certainly a far cry from the stammering rom-com roles that made him such a heartthrob, but in recent years, Grant has excelled at playing darker characters. However, none have been as hardcore as this one, and at times, he reminded me of a great British character actor from the 60s, 70s, and 80s who used to excel in genre roles like this – Patrick McGoohan (Scanners and The Prisoner). He radiates fiendishly clever intelligence, and he’s given a sadistic streak I didn’t see coming, which feels bold for a mainstream horror flick.
This comes from Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who are most famous for writing A Quiet Place. Their scripts always have a great hook, and Heretic has one that I won’t spoil here. An interesting thing about this is how limited the locations are, and the movie could almost be adapted as a stage play, albeit a particularly gruesome and scary one.
While their last directorial effort, 65, wasn’t a big success, their work here is nonetheless confident, with good cinematography and a good soundtrack that includes memorable use of The Hollies’ “The Air I Breathe” and Radiohead’s “Creep.” Yet, it’s the script and performances that make Heretic a fun horror romp, even if, at close to two hours, it feels like it’s spinning its wheels a bit too much and maybe (occasionally) gets a little too clever for its own good.
Heretic should be another solid horror hit for A24, with the provocative concept likely to inspire a lot of talk among the growing A24 cult. I thoroughly enjoyed catching it at TIFF, and I hope Hugh Grant keeps taking on darker roles. They really suit him.
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