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Heretic (film)

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This article is about the 2024 film. For other similarly-named films, see Heretic (disambiguation) § Film and theatre.

Heretic
Theatrical release poster
Directed byScott Beck
Bryan Woods
Written by
  • Scott Beck
  • Bryan Woods
Produced by
  • Stacey Sher
  • Scott Beck
  • Bryan Woods
  • Julia Glausi
  • Jeanette Volturno
Starring
CinematographyChung Chung-hoon
Edited byJustin Li
Music byChris Bacon
Production
companies
  • Beck/Woods
  • Shiny Penny
Distributed byA24
Release dates
  • September 8, 2024 (2024-09-08) (TIFF)
  • November 8, 2024 (2024-11-08)
Running time
111 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$6.9 million[2]

Heretic is a 2024 American psychological horror[3][4][5] film written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. It stars Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East, and follows two Mormon missionaries who attempt to convert a reclusive Englishman, only to realise he is more dangerous than he seems.

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024, and was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on November 1, 2024, and in the United States by A24 on November 8, 2024.

Plot

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Two missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[6] Barnes and Paxton, arrive at the home of a reclusive Englishman, Mr. Reed. They enter after being told Reed's wife is preparing a blueberry pie, and they begin to discuss religion, with Reed gradually making several uncomfortable comments about the Mormon faith and the nature of belief. After Reed steps out of the room, Barnes notices that the smell of blueberry pie is from a candle, and the pair realize the front door is locked and they have no phone signal.

Following Reed, they enter his study, where he proceeds to give a threatening lecture on the nature of beliefs, stating that all religions are adaptations of one another, and claims to have found the one true religion. He gives the girls a choice of two doors to go through in order to exit the house, one if they still believe in God, and one if they do not. Barnes rebels, refuting several of his claims, before they both enter the "Belief" door.

In a basement dungeon, Reed declares he will show them a miracle before a decrepit woman called 'The Prophet' appears. She eats a poisoned pie and dies, with Reed claiming that the pair will witness her be resurrected. A Mormon elder arrives looking for the girls but leaves after discovering nothing. The Prophet suddenly springs back to life, and delivers a description of the afterlife. Reed appears in the basement and asks the girls to describe what happened. Barnes rejects The Prophet's description, noting its similarity to textbook hallucinations from near-death experiences. Reed suddenly slashes her throat, claiming she will also come back after death before describing the "butterfly dream" story that questions the distinction between reality and dreams.

When Barnes bleeds out, Reed removes a metal object from inside her arm, claiming it is a microchip and using it as proof that Barnes was an artificial person, and her failure to resurrect proves she was not real and the world is a simulation. Paxton, however, recognises the object as a contraceptive implant, and realises that the entire situation had been orchestrated by Reed; while the girls had been distracted by the Elder's arrival, a second woman appeared and hid The Prophet's corpse, before taking her place and delivering the afterlife description as scripted by Reed, adding an unplanned comment: "It's not real". Reed's killing of Barnes and attempt to convince Paxton of a simulated reality was an improvisation to cover the plan going awry. Paxton discovers an underground chute through which the Prophet's corpse was hidden, and continues down with Reed promising it will show her the one "true religion".

Following the path, Paxton enters a room with numerous caged women, where she deduces Reed's conclusion: that a desire to control others is the root of all religions. She stabs Reed in the neck with a letter opener she had been hiding and attempts to flee, but is stabbed in the gut by Reed. As the pair bleed out, she begins to pray, claiming to a vexed Reed that it is done to show kindness to others, rather than to produce material results. As Reed prepares to finish her off, he is suddenly killed with a plank of wood by Barnes, who succumbs to her wounds. Paxton finds her way outside and runs to freedom. She momentarily sees a butterfly land on her hand; she had earlier expressed a desire to be reincarnated as a butterfly that appears on the hands of her loved ones. The butterfly suddenly vanishes, leaving the nature of Paxton's reality unknown.

Cast

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Production

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In June 2023, it was reported that Scott Beck and Bryan Woods wrote and would direct the A24 film, Heretic. Hugh Grant and Chloe East were cast in lead roles.[10] East and Sophie Thatcher are ex-Mormons themselves.

The production was granted an interim agreement allowing filming during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[11] Principal photography took place in Vancouver over 30 days from October 3 to November 16, 2023.[12][13]

Release

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Heretic premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024.[14][15] The film was scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on November 15, 2024,[16] before it was moved up from its original release date of November 15 to November 8.[17] It was released in the United Kingdom and Irealnd a week earlier on November 1.[1]

Reception

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Box office

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In the United States and Canada, Heretic was released alongside The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Elevation, Weekend in Taipei, and the wide expansion of Anora, and is projected to gross around $8 million from 3,200 theaters in its opening weekend.[18] The film made $1.2 million from Thursday night previews.[19]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 178 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Hugh Grant has infectious fun playing against type in Heretic, a religious horror that preaches the gospel of cerebral chills over cheap shocks."[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[21]

A spokesman for the LDS Church was critical of the film. He told the Deseret News, "It portrays the graphically violent treatment of women, including people of faith, and those who provide volunteer service to their communities. Any narrative that promotes violence against women because of their faith or undermines the contributions of volunteers runs counter to the safety and wellbeing of our communities."[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Heretic (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 25, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Heretic – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  3. ^ https://www.polygon.com/horror/476025/heretic-directors-interview-religion-politics-state-of-america
  4. ^ https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/heretic-directors-interview
  5. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/oct/31/heretic-review-religious-horror-with-a-suave-dapper-and-evil-hugh-grant
  6. ^ Means, Sean P. (June 25, 2024). "Watch Hugh Grant terrorize LDS missionaries in trailer for new horror movie". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (June 25, 2024). "Heretic Trailer: Hugh Grant Lures Pair Of Missionaries Into Cat-And-Mouse Game In A24 Horror Film From A Quiet Place Duo". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  8. ^ "Heretic". A24 Publicity. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  9. ^ Hullender, Tatiana (September 25, 2024). "Hugh Grant & Heretic Team Talk Exploring Mormonism Through A Horror Lens [TIFF]". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  10. ^ Galuppo, Mia (June 9, 2023). "The Fabelmans Breakout Chloe East in Talks for A24 Thriller from Scott Beck, Bryan Woods (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  11. ^ Hipes, Patrick (August 16, 2023). "SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements: Full List Of Movies And TV Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  12. ^ "In Production British Columbia". Creative BC Film Commission. August 18, 2023. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  13. ^ Kay, Jeremy. "Directors Scott Beck, Bryan Woods talk courting Hugh Grant for their TIFF religion horror Heretic". Screen Daily. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  14. ^ "Heretic". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  15. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 22, 2024). "TIFF Galas & Special Presentations Lineup Includes World Premieres From Angelina Jolie, Mike Leigh, Gia Coppola; Starry Pics With Jennifer Lopez, Lily James, Dave Bautista; Int'='l Premieres Conclave & Piece By Piece, More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  16. ^ D’Alessandro, Anthony (May 30, 2024). "A24 Dates Fall & Holiday Slate With 'The Front Room', 'A Different Man', 'We Live In Time', 'Heretic' & 'Baby Girl'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  17. ^ Navarro, Megan (September 19, 2024). "Heretic 2nd Trailer Brings New Release Date and Closer Look at Hugh Grant's Sinister Villain". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  18. ^ "Hugh Grant's 'Heretic' Could Scare Off 'Venom 3' This Weekend; Curtains Lift On 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' – Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  19. ^ "'Venom: The Last Dance' Leading Veterans Day Weekend With $14M, 'Heretic' $11M+, 'Christmas Pageant' $9M+ – Friday Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  20. ^ "Heretic". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  21. ^ "Heretic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  22. ^ Walch, Tad (November 4, 2024). "'Heretic': The problem with Hugh Grant's horror film about Latter-day Saint missionaries". Deseret News. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
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