TIFF 2024 REVIEW: ‘Heretic’ Is A Worthwhile Exercise In Patience

Religion is polarizing, providing a natural tension-building platform in writer-director duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods‘ Heretic. This chamber horror arguably presents the religious debate from hell, with protagonists Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) defending their beliefs and trying to get out alive. Heretic will challenge its viewers, even if it doesn’t necessarily challenge or take a definitive stance amid its discussions. Ultimately, everything boils down to a matter of belief, the permeating thread of the film.

Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes are fully realized from the jump. A conversation surrounding intimacy reminds the audience that they are ordinary people despite the mission they’re on. Chloe East’s Sister Paxton is the more immature of the two, an earnest go-getter sculpted since she was born by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sophie Thatcher’s Sister Barnes is more reserved, having come into the Church late in life and, as we learn throughout the film, heavily impacted by the events of her life.

Everything seems to go according to routine for the two women, even down to the harassment they face, until they appear on Mr. Reed’s (Hugh Grant) doorstep. He is disarmingly charming. Even as they insist on a female chaperone, Mr. Reed’s seemingly good nature compels them to trust him enough to enter his home. A conversation in the living room slowly puts the two women on edge, with Mr. Reed knowing more than them about their own Church’s history. By the time they realize something is wrong, it is too late. The trap is set.

The collaborative effort between East, Thatcher, Beck, and Woods to create fully realized Mormon characters is illuminated well in Heretic. East’s and Thatcher’s background in the Church is handy here, giving a nuanced portrayal of the different individuals making their baptismal rounds. Enough development occurs leading up to their fateful encounter with Mr. Reed at the front door, and by the time they are condemned to whatever machinations he has in store, your heart goes out to the poor women who are just trying to do their job.

As Mr. Reed, Grant is almost the steward of the scenes, guiding these poor little lambs to slaughter if they fail to make the right decisions. His quintessential charm has remained steadfast throughout his lengthy career, and Beck and Woods weaponize it for evil in Heretic. Grant is clearly having a blast, munching on the substantially wordy script he’s been given with aplomb. In his joy, we can see the depths of Mr. Reed’s sadism in pursuit of the answer to the one true religion.

Throwing themselves into debates on religion, Beck and Woods have plenty to work with in terms of tension. Anyone who’s been caught up in a discussion of morality, monotheism, and its various branches, etc., knows that, more often than not, it can lead to escalations. History, especially war history, is a testament to that. In Heretic, this natural tension aids much of the horror’s success. That and its singular location inside Mr. Reed’s house, designed like a doll house, assist further in crafting a sense of claustrophobia.

Despite the film’s talky first half, it loses sight of its intentions once the women embark on a literal descent. Visual metaphors notwithstanding, with a poster reminiscent of Dante’s Inferno flashed to at least once in Reed’s study, the name of Reed’s game seemingly falls apart. It is the audience’s belief that becomes paramount here, especially once the storytelling veers from showing to outright telling. While the “big tell” moment offers insight into one character’s intelligence, it almost seems to insult the audience that we must be told the intention rather than shown.

Yet, it is the performances of Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher, and Hugh Grant that keep us drawn in. Our belief in them and their individual character journeys facilitate some level of forgiveness for the second half’s unconfident shift in storytelling. Even when Grant slides into yet another bout of dialogue chunks, some of which veer into illogical, head-scratching territory in the final act, his commitment and glee as Reed are undeniably addicting.

East’s Sister Paxton is a necessary dose of comedic relief and joy when paired with Reed and Thatcher’s Sister Barnes. She remains the beacon of hope amidst the darkness in these trials, with Thatcher’s more nuanced, serious Barnes serving as a force meant to challenge. While Grant is very much in his element in Heretic, East and Barnes ensure they are not steamrolled. Instead, they both shine equally, opposite to Grant’s overt trickster energy.

For some, Heretic may prove an exercise in patience. This is an incredibly wordy script framed mostly as a theological debate, something that easily sparks tension just from the subject matter. With Hugh Grant’s sadistic, theologically obsessed villain, that’s enough to silence haters. Or at least, it may be enough to convince anyone to endure conversations that remind them of awkward holiday family dinners.

Heretic world premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and will be in theaters nationwide November 15, 2024.