Two Mormon missionaries enter the wrong house in the very tense, very well-written, and very unexpected Heretic, which opens November 8. That house belongs to Mr. Reed, played by Hugh Grant, who we quickly realize isn’t interested so much in The Book of Mormon but more in what the beliefs of that book will make the two missionaries do.
They’re played by Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets, The Book of Boba Fett) and Chloe East (The Fabelmans), who round out the main trio of the film written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (writers of A Quiet Place, directors of 65). With Heretic, Beck and Woods aim to subvert expectations from the traditional “girls trapped in a house with a madman” setup. He’s not out to murder them. He’s out to, well… we won’t say. But the entire dynamic is structured and driven by dialogue. Specifically, dialogue about religious philosophy. Mr. Reed may get Sister Barnes (Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Reid) into his home under false pretenses, but their wide-eyed optimism and faith are exactly what he’s looking for.
At first, Heretic‘s tension comes from the unknown. What exactly is happening here? The audience knows before the Sisters that something is wrong, we simply don’t know what it is. Then, once they figure it out, the curtain begins to be pulled back slowly as Mr. Reed finds sadistic delight in monologuing about his plan and philosophies in a way that’s both diabolically unsettling and endlessly fascinating. As you ponder all the nuggets the character is giving you, you creep to the edge of your seat in anticipation of what it all means.
This first act of Heretic is phenomenal. It’s a whirlwind of ideas, arguments, philosophy, and pop culture references being delivered with an energy usually reserved for a Broadway theater. It all works together to educate but also terrify. After about an hour of the three characters slowly but surely upping the tension and suspense to almost unheard-of levels, though, Heretic takes its first big turn and, unfortunately, it doesn’t quite match up. Beck and Woods’ script is so strong and their direction so compelling in the film’s first hour or so, once we move to the second act, it’s simply not as interesting. Goodwill from the first act carries over, of course, and new revelations add interesting new directions, but after that first act, the movie does crest over the hill and head downhill the rest of the way.
Which, yes, even goes for the third act when all is revealed. There are big twists and turns throughout, including some that seem totally out of left field and slightly unearned, but the payoff the first act teases never quite comes to fruition. That said, Heretic only mildly disappoints. In the back half of the movie, Thatcher and East take over the spotlight from Grant as they find themselves twisted in his web. Each shows a whole spectrum of emotion that keeps the film propulsive and interesting. Plus, the fact the movie is a subversion of a horror trope hangs over everything. We’re always waiting for things to turn violent.
Even with a first half that’s better than the second, Heretic still has that dynamite setup going for it and plenty of fantastic beats along the way. All three actors are excellent with Grant rising above by just a hair simply by having the meatiest dialogue, in addition to all the answers. You’ll never, ever guess where Heretic goes, partially because you’ll be too nervous and fascinated to think that far ahead. Once it’s over, you’ll want to go back again, just to see if you can figure it out for yourself.
Heretic recently screened at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. It opens wide on November 8.
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