Hugh Grant once again shows his range as an actor in A24’s new horror thriller, Heretic. There was a time when Grant was most known as the romantic comedy lead, but the British actor has had a renaissance of sorts in the last few years. Heretic tells the story of two Mormon missionaries who turn up at the house of a peculiar man, to spread the word about their religion. However, they end up fighting for their lives in a twisted game, and end up questioning the legitimacy of their religious beliefs.
Heretic was released in theaters worldwide on Friday, November 1, 2024, and it has garnered mainly positive reviews from critics and fans. The ending is a rip-roaring thrill ride, but the tense build-up is just as enticing. The movie also has a lot to say about society’s attitudes towards religion. Also, the remote setting helps to add to the tension, and in many ways it feels like a three-hander play, with some snappy dialogue and strong performances all round.
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What Is Heretic About?
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Heretic |
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Starring |
Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East and Topher Grace |
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Written By |
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods |
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Directed By |
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods |
Heretic tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries, Sisters Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Paxton (Chloe East), who are attempting to spread the word about their religion in a mountainous small town. After some disappointing and failed interactions with the locals, they focus their attentions on a planned engagement with a man called Mr Reed (Hugh Grant), at his sprawling mansion in the middle of nowhere. He welcomes both young women into his house, with the promise of blueberry pie made by his wife. It becomes clear that Mr Reed doesn’t actually have a wife, and the girls start sensing that not everything is as it seems. Reed quizzes them on their religious beliefs, and appears to be playing a dark and twisted game with them, and actually has no interest in converting to their religion.
Barnes and Paxton decide that it’s time to vacate the premises in typical horror movie fashion, and return to the safety of their church. Only one problem: Reed has locked the front door, and they are literally stuck. He offers them an alternative way to leave, with the option of two doors, that both appear to lead to a creepy cellar. Reed writes ‘belief’ on one door and disbelief on the other, and the young women must decide which option to take. Doubts begin to creep in, but they eventually pick ‘belief’, and it leads them down a dark path towards a cellar where a creepy old woman greets them with blueberry pie. Reed tells Barnes and Paxton that this woman is actually a prophet who is capable of miracles. As the old woman consumes the pie, she dies, as Reed points out that it has actually been poisoned.
How Does Heretic End?
Here comes the shocking plot twist: Reid claims that the old woman will be resurrected, with answers as to what is going on in the afterlife. As Barnes and Paxton remain in the cellar, there is a knock at the door, and it’s the Mormon elder, Kennedy (Topher Grace), who has become increasingly concerned by the missionaries’ failure to return back to the church. He quizzes Reed over whether he’s seen the women, but he pleads ignorance, and Kennedy goes on his way, before returning to offer Reed a leaflet about ther Mormon faith, which he willingly accepts. While this conversation is going on, the resourceful missionaries have managed to get hold of some matches, and attempt to start a fire to raise the alarm. However, the creepy old woman appears behind them, seemingly resurrected, and puts an end to the attempted fire.
Reed returns to the cellar, and shockingly slits Barnes’ throat. However, he insists she’ll also be resurrected in a similar fashion to the old woman. When his plans don’t come to fruition, he slices her arm open and removes a metal bar, and ridiculously claims that this is proof that Barnes isn’t actually real and neither is the world. In reality, the metal bar is a contraceptive, and Paxton knows this. The revelation is still a shock to Paxton, as she wasn’t aware Barnes was sexually active, and this obviously goes against their religious beliefs. Paxton challenges Reed on his claims about the old woman being resurrected, and suggests it’s more likely that he switched her for another similar-looking creepy old woman. Paxton then discovers another cellar that leads to a shocking revelation: Reed has been keeping more women captive, all of whom look like the so-called prophet. Paxton stabs Reed in the throat and escapes, only to be followed by Reed, who, upon finding her, stabs her in the stomach. Just as he’s about to finish her off, Barnes reappears and kills Reed, before finally succumbing to her own injuries. Paxton escapes the property as the sole survivor of the incident.
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