Heretic – Review

Heretic is a cast of a few and a setting of one, yet absolutely boils over with insane anxiety inducing tension and at times outright horror. Knowing less is sometimes best for movies, and this is one where it is okay to go in completely blind, especially if you like restless scripts full of disquieting apprehension and oozing with unease.

The plot setup is super simple, and that is part of the horror. Mormon missionaries Sister Barnes (Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (East) are going down their list of neighborhood addresses to visit and talk about the power of the Lord with. The people on their list had shown interest at some point in finding out more, and the girls are biking all over the small town, despite cold and rainy weather.

They reach Mr. Reed’s (Grant) home, and lock up their bikes as the weather begins to turn even colder. They knock, and as it is raining quickly step inside to discuss religion with the kind sir who greets them at the door. The girls’ Mormonism teaches them that they must not be inside alone with just a man, so they only enter as Mr. Reed’s wife is in the back baking blueberry pie and will bring out a treat for the girls momentarily. Then the parties begin their discussion of religion.

While this all may not sound like much, that is truly only the opening set-up of the winding and continuously surprising tale. The smart script absolutely drips with eventual tension, especially based on the subject matter. Religion is often hard, and differing views can often be a challenge to treat respectfully, but this script really surfaces many theological and moral issues before descending further into madness.

The small cast does not need any help carrying the great script. They absolutely knock their roles out of the park, which was necessary to bring out the true horror of the film. It is moody and effective, while being thought provoking and scary. Both the main girls really kicked ass with their roles and Hugh Grant is clearly having a great time. Assuming you are not turned off by religious discussion, or horror movies, definitely see Heretic.