Heretic (2024) Review

QUESTION EVERYTHING

There have been many famous Hollywood movie studios, with some dating all the way back to golden age of cinema storytelling. While powerhouse studios like Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney Studios have dominated the film landscape for decades, new studios have started to emerge from their shadows, proving to quite the rival challengers to the old guard of film studio giants. One such a studio is A24 and has slowly gain a following for its various releases for a little bit more than a decade now. The company was founded back in 2012 by Daniel Kat, David Fenkel, and John Hodges, with all who had extensive work in the film industry. The company’s first film was released in 2013 with A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III and gained box office success with Spring Breakers later that year. By 2015, A24 started to produce more prominent films that caught the attention of moviegoers as well as receiving several nominations from the Academy Awards releases like Amy for Best Documentary, Ex Machina for Best Visual Effects, and Room for Best Actress (Brie Larson). Since then, the company has begun producing more original content and announced partnerships with Apple TV+ and Showtime Networks for the digital releases of some of its films and has produced several credible releases, including 2016’s The Witch, 2017’s Lady Bird, 2018’s Eighth Grade, 2021’s The Green Knight, and 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once just to name a few. Now, A24 and directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods gear up for the next film from this studio with the release of Heretic. Does the film shine bright in A24’s illustrious library of films or does it fail to produce any type of cinematic integrity from this prestigious movie studio?

THE STORY

Two young Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), are doing their daily rounds in town, trying to strike up conversations with various people for the church. The young women haven’t had much luck in their prospects, with most individuals ignoring their schtick on the Mormon faith. Having one last run at it before the days ends, Barnes and Paxton end up at a remote house to meet with Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), a homeowner who welcomes the visitors in his dwelling by tempting them with freshly cooked blueberry pie and an interest in learning more about Mormonism. The two women are hesitant to enter Mr. Reed’s house without the presence of another female, but the man appears friendly enough, and Barnes and Paxton comply. However, it doesn’t take long for he begins to ask strange questions about religion and that the smell of blueberry pie turns out to be a scented candle. Now, locked inside his house, Barnes and Paxton are left powerless and Reed’s control, exposing the missionary women to take private journey concerning the history of religion, forcing them to make a choice between belief and disbelief to escape maze-like house.

THE GOOD / THE BAD

There is no doubt that the major studios of Hollywood have historic roots within Tinseltown’s tapestry of filmmaking. To me, these powerful juggernaut studios have laid the foundation for the movie industry for decades and have provide plenty of primary staples across the board within their multitude of release. A24 is somewhat of a new film studio that has emerged from shadows at the beginning of 2010’s era, yet has proven itself to be quite a powerhouse amongst the other major studios. Personally, A24 movies have a sort of “hit or miss” with me. I think my first one that I personally saw 2015’s Ex Machina and I loved it. It definitely something a little different than mainstream style of filmmaking, with the project having a bit of that “arthouse” feel within nuances and aesthetics, but was still quite an amazing film to watch. I did like several other A24 releases such as The Witch, Hereditary, and Lady Bird just to name a few, but I feel that some (or rather most) have that peculiar art styles of filmmaking that can be a bit too much for my personal taste. It’s like pairing certain wines together….some are good, while others are not. I definitely know that there is a special affinity towards A24 with its fanbase, but I personally think the releases from the studios can be a mixed bag in some places. Still, I do applaud the studio for making a name for itself and carving its own special slice of movie entertainment in today’s modern filmmaking landscape.

This circle back around to talking about Heretic, a 2024 horror film and the latest project to be released from A24 studios. I can’t remember much about when this particular project was officially announced. In truth, it sort of went “under my radar” as I didn’t see any type of news or tidbits on the various movie websites that I frequently visit. I think my actual first acknowledgement of this movie was when the film’s movie trailers began to appear both online and in theaters (during the “coming attractions” preview reel). At first, I really didn’t pay much attention to it…. it’s true. I did look like a stereotypical A24 release, but I wasn’t completely “blown away” by the preview. I did take notice that actor Hugh Grant was attached to the project and was to be featured (in the movie) as the main bad guy, which did interest me. However, it still wasn’t enough for me to get excited and to see it. As stated above, A24 releases have been a little bit of “hit or miss” with me. So, time passed and after a few months, I remember hearing about this movie and it was getting a lot of positive buzz and remarks, including many citing it to be an effective movie within its plotting and thrills as well as quotes on Grant’s solid performance. Given all that, I was indeed now looking forward to seeing Heretic when it was scheduled to be on November 8th, 2024 (it was originally set to be released on November 15th, 2024, before it was moved up a week). I did see a few weeks after its release (I think in early December) as I wanted to see other movies (i.e. Wicked, Gladiator II, and Moana 2) before tackling this one. Unfortunately, Heretic, like a few other ones, sort of fell through the cracks of trying to get out my review done for this particular film and I kept on pushing it back. Now, finally having the time and trying to wrap up my 2024 movie review leftovers, I am ready to share my thoughts on the movie. And what did I think of it? Well, to be quite honest, I really liked this movie. Despite some clunky mechanics during the third act as well as a few other nuances, Heretic is a philosophical horror thriller that delivers on what it wants to convey, while also being a poignant and meticulously dialogue driven narrative that is worth the slow-burn flow. It did catch me by surprise (in a good way) and I think that it does so for many viewers out there as well.

Heretic is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, with their previous directorial works includes such films as Nightlight, Haunt, and 65. Last year, I saw 65 and I was quite unimpressed with it. Indeed, it was ambitious and admirable job that Beck and Woods did with that feature, yet it still felt underwhelming and underdeveloped. So, when I first read that they were going to be directing Heretic, I did have my doubts about this particular project. However, after watching the movie, I was quite impressed with their directorial works and so certainly succeeded in bringing this story to life in a cinematic way. Beck and Woods’s approach to Heretic in a little bit of similar way to 65, shaping the feature to have a minimalistic way in terms of setting, narrative progression, and characters. Yes, this is partially due to the limited production budget (more on that below), but it keeps the film’s narrative rather small-scale and isolated, feeling that the minimal approach to be the best way to keep the movie’s feeling rather claustrophobic and imposing at the same time.

In conjunction with that, the movie itself is presented as a slow burner, slowly peeling away at the narrative been told in slow style fashion. This is perhaps the most paramount piece to Heretic as this does help create character dialogue moments quite well. It would be an understatement to say that the film is extremely dialogue heavy, with the three main characters having great lengths of dialogue conversation, complimenting and combating what each other has to say. This is where the film’s script (or rather the written dialogue) comes into play, which was penned by both Beck and Woods (pulling double duty on the film). The sort of “bread and butter” for the feature comes in the form of the dialogue driven scenarios, which is deeply steeped in questions about philosophy, theology, ethics, and religious beliefs. Beck and Woods help navigate such conventional pitfalls and tropes with their snappy and sophisticated dialogue moments to where it’s a sort of verbal game of “cat and mouse” with Barnes and Paxton against Mr. Reed. Who is right and who is wrong is not necessarily the right course of action, but rather a person’s faith and understanding of what it stands for. This is even further aided by the acting talents involved (more on that below), which creates such impressive work on written words that were presented in the script. The script itself (or rather the story) is rather small and simplistic, but (again) that works in the feature’s favor, with Beck and Woods never losing sight on what really matters within the three main characters and what each of them has to stay about their own personal beliefs, regardless of if that belief contradicts what the others think of.

Coinciding with that, the movie is also part thriller / horror, with Beck and Woods knowing how to pull off some exciting and tense moments the correct way. The suspense works because of the actor themselves, but it also comes from the duo of directors, which have a hand in staging sequences that help elevate such horror style filled scenes. Again, I’m not the biggest fan when it comes to horror movies, but I felt that what was presented in Heretic definitely works and didn’t feel cheesy or hokey. Some parts were a little bit clunkily handle, especially during the third act, but the movie is cleverly put together (and managed) that it never overpowers the theological debates or vice versa with its horror thrills.

Additionally, Beck and Woods make Heretic feel very much like a A24 releases, which is a good thing for people who like this film studio and their various releases. What do I mean? Well, it’s very arthouse at times, but with a little bit of a modern flavoring throughout the proceedings. It’s more about the visual representation and dialogue driven moments that help sell the feature and makes it more of smaller studio releases rather than a throwaway production from a larger studio. That particular “cinematic feeling” helps capture a viewer’s attention and definitely helps sell the movie’s plot and characters. This combination, along with Beck and Woods’s directorial focus, makes Heretic an engaging film that challenges the theological stance of a person’s belief as well as delving into some compelling thrills and a few scares along the way.

For its presentation, Heretic is actually quite good and utilizes its low budget production smartly and pulls off quite a rabbit from its hat. With budget only roughly $10 million, the film is considered a low production, yet Beck doesn’t want to make a very expansive and / or elaborate setting for the feature, for that’s not what makes the plot. Instead, the movie utilizes its limited budget to help generate a limited scope for the three main characters to follow and creates such a claustrophobic setting that it creates a maze-like scenario within Mr. Reed’s house. The various rooms are filled knick-knacks and trinkets one would seem be collected within an elder person’s home, but the usage of dimmed light and muting the colors creates an eerie shadowy veil across it all. Plus, the camera angles help highlight those rooms quite well, which adds to the layer of mystery and foreboding within Reed’s dwelling. Thus, the film’s “behind the scenes” team, including Phillip Messina (production design), Mike Keel and Hamish Purdy (set decorations), Betsy Heimann (costume designs), and Justin Ludwig (art direction) should be praised for their efforts and work on this particular project, which help bring to life the movie’s background setting correctly. Additionally, the cinematography work by Chung-hoon Chung is actually pretty good and does a commendable job for projecting the right amount of creative camera and usage of shadowing effects, which is something utilized a lot in dark corridor areas as well in facial close ups (as mentioned above). Lastly, the film’s score, which was composed by Chris Bacon, greatly helps in the film’s success, providing plenty of suspenseful thrills within the accompanied musical composition. The undertone of something off-kilter and unsettling are Bacon’s underscoring treatment, with the rising tension building, which definitely works.

Unfortunately, there are several pieces within Heretic’s undertaking that draw some criticisms within its construction that, while not derailing the feature, does hinder it from reaching its lofty cinematic aspirations. How so? Well, for starters, the movie is (as mentioned above) more of psychological thriller with splashes of horror style elements thrown here and there. This is a piece that undertakes a theology examination on a person’s faith and religion and challenges their personal experience and interoperations of such doctrines. Thus, some might be a little bit “turned off” by such a niche aspect of narrative prose and confrontations whether it be mainly about the religious beliefs and / or framing of the feature. For me, it was neither of them, so it didn’t bother me as much. Although, I do know that there are some out there who might be a little cautious about broaching this particular subject matter and might dislike what Heretic is trying to convey. This is especially true when comparing to many other A24 releases, with Heretic trying to match some of their more aimable features within its thematic subtext messaging, yet never fully reaching it completely.

Part of this particular problem resides within that very same psychology thriller premise, with the feature being more dialogue driven than thrilling horror scares. This, of course, makes the film’s movie trailer misleading, promising more (assuming) logical puzzle solving, gory “do or die” situations, and peeling back character personalities who try move from one room in the house to the next, looking for a way out from the clutches a villainous mastermind. This would be something akin to the Saw movies or even Escape Room. However, the movie isn’t that. Yes, there are parts that do assimilate such familiarities within Heretic’s narrative, but those come in sparse moments and (as stated) is more of a philosophical / theology understanding. Thus, the misleading of the film’s marketing campaign can be frustrating for some out there, including myself, with the actual movie being more of character / dialogue driven moments strung along rather than a proper mixture of various elements to make up a horror thriller endeavor.

Perhaps my biggest complaint (as do many others out there) is found within the feature’s third act and how it sort of fumbles its conclusion. While the first two-thirds of the movie are presented nicely and are executed quite well, the third act of Heretic pivots to something else entirely as if it wasn’t part of the original script at the beginning and was repurposed later on to be integrated into the final piece for the feature. To me, this feels almost like what happened with 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane, with the first and second act feeling like one movie and the third act being something completely different. The two ideas didn’t jive well enough in that film and it feels that same way again in this particular movie. It’s not completely terrible as it does offer some type of justifiableness within its climatic portion and overall resolution to the plot, yet it feels clunkily and disjointed in its undertaking, revealing something completely left field that doesn’t quite jive well enough with the rest of the film as intended.

What definitely helps elevate those points of criticisms is found with Heretic’s cast, which is kept relatively small and is primarily held together by the three main leads (two protagonists, one antagonist) of the feature. Much like 10 Cloverfield Lane and even Spilt, the small cast is indeed up to the task, with the acting talents of actresses Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, and actor Hugh Grant leading the charge and carrying the movie wholeheartedly and impressively well from onset to conclusion. Thatcher, known for her roles in Yellowjackets, Prospects, and Companion, is not quite the household name of recognizable acting talents, but her performance in Heretic is brilliant to say the least. Like Sister Paxton, Thatcher’s Barnes is cautious and fearful of Mr. Reed’s presence, yet it never compromises her quick thinking and desire to make sure her and companion are making the best course of action. Barnes is more of the leader of the two, showing more strength, resolve, and leadership than Paxton, with Thatcher demonstrating that within her body language and more hardened demeanor. She also has more reasoning with her faith and seems to be the one to challenge Mr. Reed’s denouncements and accusations about religion aspects. One of the best scene is when she (Barnes) and Reed got at it and have a heated debate over this conversation and this sequence showcases Thatcher’s acting prowess beautifully. Similarly, East, who is known for her roles in Generations, The Fabelmans, and Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, is not quite the recognizable actress, yet still delivers a great performance within her portrayal of Sister Paxton. Unlike Baxter’s more guarded nature, Paxton is the more naïve individual, with East playing up the youthful and exuberant energy that works in contrast to her sister companion. This, of course, makes for a great character foil for Hatcher’s Baxter to play off of, with the pair having different reflections in Mr. Reed’s conversations. Plus, East does a good job in making Paxton have the naïve bliss that works in her character’s favor and does have a bit more growth (of the three) in the movie.

For the main antagonist, Grant certainly makes for an exciting (and surprisingly) great villain in the character of Mr. Reed, an enigmatic older man who ensnares the two young women in his dwelling and seeks to further understand their religious faith. Known for his roles in Notting Hill, Love Actually, and About a Boy, Grant has always played a part in the “nice guy” realm, projecting his British sensibility within its theatrics within his various characters. To be sure, he has played roles of being the “bad guy” as seeing in films like Paddington 2 and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, but those performances required a bit more cartoon-ish “moustache twirling” comedic villainy. Thus, given an opportunity to showcase his acting chops within a more sinister character seemed like the perfect chance for Grant to demonstrate if he can handle the bad guy role. To his credit, Grant does quite an amazing job in such a role and is clearly having tremendous fun at playing the villain. To be sure, he does acts as the film’s “seasoned” actor of the three leads and helps anchor the project with his theatrical talents on full display. The characteristic of Mr. Reed is also quite interesting, presenting a man that seems odd yet welcoming at first and becomes something far worse as events unfold. Of course, this is somewhat conventional for a movie of this caliber, so it’s nothing new or groundbreaking, with very little background details on explaining who or what made this man utterly maniac and unhinged. Yet, it is within Grant’s performance where the character of Mr. Reed comes alive. A great actor with his dialogue and conversations is delectable and alarming at the same time, with Grant known how to deliver such big-winded speeches the right way that showcases his prowess for auditory usage. And when he smiles, it’s chilling and maniac feeling that sends chill down your spine and into your heart. Basically, Grant as Mr. Reed is the perfect villain for a movie like this, challenging, terrifying and sharp as a tactic.

Collectively, Thatcher, East, and Grant acts as the main characters for the feature, with the movie not having much in the way of secondary players or even minor supporting ones. Thus, the trio have to do a lot of the heavy lifting for most of the film, especially since a lot of sequences are dialogue driven. Thankfully, all three give great performances within their respective roles and do lend credence to the multitude of dialogue driven scenes throughout the entire feature. It’s a testament to each of them that they (as individuals) could help carry a movie that only has three primary characters to focus on and not an entire ensemble cast of secondary / side characters.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Going about their business of converting people to their Church, two young Mormon sisters get more than what they bargained for when they enter a man’s house and are confronted with twisted mind game of faith and belief in the movie Heretic. Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’s latest film takes a simple premise story and turns it on its head, revealing a heavy dialogue driven movie that confronts personal beliefs and philosophical understandings and mixes it with thrilling horror aspects. The end result of it all comes together in quite a surprising way that, while stumbling in a few areas (most notable in the third act) manages to deliver an engaging feature, especially in its direction, writing, presentation, and acting talents involved on this project. Personally, I really liked this. As stated many times, I’m not the biggest fan of horror movies and (to me personally) some of the A24 are a bit “hit or miss” for my liking, but I was greatly surprised by both of those aspects. The movie was intriguing with its premise and had some great dialogue driven moments, especially with how they were written and how they were acted. The theological moments were sharp and the film suspense / horror were greatly utilized. The minimalistic style approach worked well in the movie and I felt that the acting talent was fantastic. Plus, seeing Grant in such a villainous role was definitely worth the price of admission. The ending did feel a bit clunkily handled in a few areas, but the end result was still quite palpable. Thus, my recommendation for this movie would be a solid “recommended” as the movie does deliver on its premise and surely will delight both A24 fans as well as those looking for some thrills and horror nuances in their cinematic viewing experiences. In the end, Heretic finds that certain sweet spot of storytelling, producing something that utilizes its small production budget smartly and generates plenty of close-quarter dialogue driven moments that helps create such a palpable (and theological) nuance within its suspenseful moments of belief and faith.

4.2 Out of 5 (Recommended)

The Official Website for Heretic Link: HERE

Released On: November 8th, 2024

Reviewed On: April 17th, 2025

Heretic  is 111 minutes long and is rated R for some bloody violence

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