Heretic

Heretic

Question everything.

Rating

3.2 (3)

Release Date

10/31/2024

Runtime

111 mins

Overview

Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

Status

Released

Original Language

English

Budget

$10,000,000

Revenue

$51,913,394

Homepage

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How It Feels

Read from this film's synopsis, keywords and credits, and used to work out what it sits beside.

A claustrophobic psychological thriller that weaponizes belief itself, trapping its victims in a battle of conviction against a manipulative predator who knows exactly how to exploit doubt.

Mood

Dread-soakedTenseUnsettlingParanoid

Themes

FaithPowerIdentityCorruption

Tone

Bleak

Pacing

Propulsive

Look

High-contrastFormalist

Structure

Single location

Reviews

nicolascagegoons

While huge grant, some decent cinematography and an interesting plot is there, the overall film is kinda a let down and it doesn't focus nearly enough on what it wants to say because jumpscares and gore.
Sophie thatcher is cool to ig.

(Also watch my newest film My ★★★½ review of who killed him? on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/b9kZWJ )

stormaciousd

I saw Lana Del Rey perform "Get Free" a capella in 2018.

I was expecting more of a horror film. I'm glad it was a thriller instead, with Hugh Grant peppering in some dark comedy in his little sweater. It felt like it could have lasted longer, but I'm glad they didn't stretch out a longer cat-and-mouse game.

I love the cast. Hugh Grant is so charismatic. I would go in his house. He really nailed the humor in all the pop culture tangents, and I loved those moments. I had never seen Chloe East in anything other than Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, and I couldn't stop thinking about how perfect she would be in a coming of age movie like "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret," but older. It's always exciting to see Topher Grace, and obviously Sophie Thatcher has been on a hot streak.

brett

The team behind both Halloween season favorite <I>Haunt</i> and <I>A Quiet Place</i> are back at it again with A24's <I>Heretic</i>.

Since this is an A24 film, what you see in the film's trailer(s) is/are not what you receive in the end. It's not deceptive marketing, but a proper ploy to entice theatergoers, and then sneaks in a sucker punch.

<I>Heretic</i> slowly unravels from beginning to end. It starts off strong, building up the two main characters on their pursuit to speak with people who requested to learn more about the church (organization) they represent. His home, which he welcomes the two women into, is old and quaint, but very bland. We know something's amiss, and the sinister intentions soon come into play.

Hugh Grant's character gives off Jerry Blake vibes (Terry O'Quinn's character in 1987's <I>The Stepfather</i>). He can be charming and humorous at first, and then give off malicious vibes in an instant. There's a lot of religious dialog to digest, which, as someone who is not religious, makes it a bit difficult to follow along with the names of important figures and books, let alone beliefs for each. Did Beck and Woods do their religious homework to ensure that every bit said is correct? Who knows. It's only a film. (Knowing them, it's most likely accurate).

Without spoilers, the two women, now trapped in his home, must test their faith and endure his traps to see how far they will go to stand up for what they believe (religion). Is there a God? Can someone be resurrected? It's a lot of smoke and mirrors, and does drag on a bit, and, at the end, leaves us with a "Did that happen or not?" conclusion.

Altogether, a decent effort in the Beck and Woods filmography.

<B>Final thoughts:</B>
You will believe... maybe.

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