Heretic

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.