Movie Review: Heretic
One-liner: While uneven, this atmospheric and unsettling psychological horror thriller benefits from a captivating lead performance.
Heretic is an unsettling psychological horror thriller that brings religion into question as two young missionaries visit an older man as part of their evangelism. While steadfast in their faith, Mr. Reed sows seeds of doubt as efforts to destabilise their worldview become more pronounced. A creepy horror, the film centres on a single location as a cat-and-mouse game plays out. At first reluctant to go in, Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton soon find themselves at the mercy of their fork-tongued host.
This tale has similarities with the classic fairy tale, ‘Red Riding Hood’, as Grandma turns out to be the Big Bad Wolf. A modest production, there’s a sense of creeping claustrophobia as the young women are lured deeper into the house as clues add up and the deception becomes more overt. An artful and thoughtful horror, the creep factor is strong as the intellectual debate deepens and widens, deconstructing religion in a similar fashion to the underground documentary series, Zeitgeist.
Ironically, Heretic does come across like a sermon as the dialogue explores some of the similarities between the most commonly practiced religions of the world and attempts to debase some of their foundational elements. This lesson may be disconcerting to devout religious viewers who will, much like its protagonists, feel another layer of offence to the subversive discussion.
Heretic has the look and feel of an old-fashioned horror in the vein of The Conjuring 2. The low-key lighting, production design and wardrobe contributes to this dated and out-of-time aspect. A chiller, it’s dedicated to the nitty-gritty of the verbal jousting as the resident heretic tries to persuade his captives to go against every fibre of their spiritual being. While taken from the perspective of two Mormon missionaries, this is more of a launchpad than a specific attack on the Latter-day Saint movement.
The prickly dialogue is carried forth with glee by Hugh Grant, who is a curious yet effective casting call for this role, known for his charm and rarely delivering anything but solid performances. Grant is at the forefront with a scene-stealing performance, dexterously handling a strong dose of dark comedy. He’s the main reason to see this curious little horror film delivering a captivating performance with pure conviction.
“We’d probably get more joy if we arrived with pizza.”
He’s more than up to the task, going against type to show his versatility and latching on to the character of Mr Reed with a slow-burning intrigue and cat-like predatory instincts. Taking on a few ‘Alice in Wonderland’ elements, the horror is confined and does well within these limitations, keeping things atmospheric and unnerving without much in the way of smoke and mirrors.
Grant’s ably supported by the impressionable Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, whose fresh-faced and innocent characters are far from two-dimensional as we quickly discover they’re not as naïve as you would think. The filmmakers takes their time with this immersion not revealing their hand too soon and allowing the almost preachy lesson to unfold as things go from bad to worse.
A clever concept Heretic is effectively executed by writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. They draw audiences into the discussion with some kooky and trivial examples that serve as visual aids for what becomes a well-written standpoint, sure to bring most people’s understanding of faith into question. Much like The Exorcist, it seems that the less certain you are about your faith, the shakier you’ll feel watching Heretic.
Speaking of classic horror, Heretic has an undercurrent of The Shining when it comes to story elements, such as a madcap lead, isolated location and would-be rescuer. While rather eerie Heretic isn’t quite as scary as you would hope for, possibly owing to moments where the dialogue gets away from itself. Finding a deep appreciation for the sound of his own voice like a Bond villain, Mr. Reed does seem in danger of too much talk and not enough action.
Having Grant at the helm is a blessing and he certainly delivers in terms of star power and performance value. But that doesn’t stop the film from dipping into some rather silly moments on the verge of Monty Python. While it would have been better to keep a finger on the pulse and continually escalate the horror dynamic, Heretic does deliver on enough fronts to make it a worthwhile and lurid distraction.
It may be cloying for those who are sensitive to this kind of criticism on a religious level but does enough to satisfy audiences who appreciate a good old-fashioned creepy horror thriller. Operating on the same dank level of Don’t Breathe, the ingredients are good enough to compel with an unusual story which is only limited by its ambitious tonal quality. While it finishes with a bit of a flurry, the third act does drag home.
The bottom line: Creepy
