Heretic (2024), directed by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods, stars Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, Topher Grace, and Elle Young. The film follows Sister Barnes (Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (East), two young Morman missionaries who arrive at the home of the seemingly friendly Mr. Reed (Grant) so they can teach him about the gospel of Joseph Smith. After their initial conversation takes a frightening/awkward turn, the two girls realize that Mr. Reed has locked them in the house  He reveals that the only out out of the house is through it and that each room will test their conceptions/misconceptions of faith. As they travel through the house, the girls learn terrible secrets about not only Mr. Reed but the nature of religion as a whole.

Hugh Grant is absolutely diabolical in his role as Mr. Reed. For most of the runtime, it’s not even clear if he intends to harm the girls, but when he does find a stroke of evil, it’s endlessly effective. He is the type of villain who smiles with glee as he cuts your throat and Hugh Grant plays it perfectly. It’s really a quality-over-quantity kind of performance and I’m completely ok with it. 

Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher hold their own next to Grant and deliver two extremely likable (yet flawed) protagonists. The movie immediately makes a point to show that these two are much more intelligent than the typical horror protagonist through a handful of smart decisions, that if not slyly hindered by Mr. Reed, would allow the girls to escape their situation immediately. In other words, the film never has a “why didn’t the characters do this or that?” moment. I also appreciated that these characters are what you’d expect from Morman missionaries while also being nuanced as individual humans. Although their religion is important to them, they’re not defined by it. On top of this, they both receive effective arcs that many movies of this kind barely attempt or completely ignore.

More so than visceral scares, Heretic constantly delivers effective intellectual scares. The film works in the sense that it consistently delivers both sides of the religious debate without feeling like it takes a specific side. That being said, the movie is so back-and-forth in terms of its messaging that it sometimes feels like a thematically confusing mess. I understand not wanting to offend one side of the fence, but it results in an experience that doesn’t have too much new to say. Yes, it’s compelling, but it also feels safe. 

This consideration of religious doctrine results in a first half that mostly consists of pure dialogue. This would feel boring, but as soon as the conversations become stale, the movie shifts into more traditional horror territory. It also just works as fantastic characterization that allows us to enjoy what HAPPENS in the third act instead of wasting time continually figuring out who these characters are. 

Overall, this is one of the more original horror films of 2024 and does so with small-scale sets and a minimal cast. On top of this, it is also the second top-notch religious thriller to be released in the last week after Conclave. Hugh Grant is a force of nature but isn’t forced to carry the entire experience on his shoulders due to a wonderful script and two likewise fantastic performances from the younger leads. The only thing that holds the experience back is that it fails to land on a clear message/meaning. There are some interesting ideas on religion just being another form of control, but they’re hindered by the fact that the believers of the story never find convincing ways to respond to that premise. This may be my personal bias, but the film acts like the girls’ beliefs are intellectually equal to Mr. Reed but I just don’t see it. If faith is established as a form of control, why does a character reestablish her faith in the final moments? Maybe that’s the point. Maybe she’s still being controlled. I guess if one looks at it that way, it’s far more effective than my reading (and more terrifying). Either way, it feels like it tries to balance both sides for the sake of accessibility as opposed to strong messaging. Besides that, this is a must-watch. B+