Smart, suspenseful and clever as hell, HERETIC is an enjoyable puzzle driven by one of Hugh Grant's best performances. The entire cast is game, pulling me into a great set up that delivers.
Is it a horror film or a serial killer thriller with a main character that could go toe-to-toe with Lecter? It's best you discover for yourself.
The opening is flawless.
Two young women, tireless Mormon missionaries, are on a quest for new souls to save. Chloe East (The Fabelmans) is Sister Paxton, the more confident of the two. She carries herself more assuredly, providing inspiration to her road partner, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher from "The Boogeyman" and "Yellowjackets"). Barnes takes the teasing from non-Mormon teens to heart but remains committed to bringing someone new to her flock.
The most likely prospect is Mr. Reed (Grant) who has mentioned outside a Costco that he'd like them to follow up at his home.
It's an idyllic old house, set apart and surrounded by lush gardens.
He answers the door, invites them in, assuring the girls that his wife is in the other room, baking a blueberry pie. They can smell it!
Come in, take off your wet coats, let me get you something to drink.......
Mr. Reed is the picture of a man urgent to learn more about their faith.
There's no doubt he does, but his questions go from generic to specific.
He seems to know a lot more about Mormonism than Sister Paxton & Barnes would have suspected.
What follows is a very enjoyable and suspenseful cat & mouse game, a quest for truth about religion and choices that has consequences. Serious ones as a matter of fact.
The sharp screenplay by Scott Beck (A Quiet Place) and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place: Day One) surprised me again and again. None of the characters are without transformation or growth. No one is quite who they seem.
Beck and Woods also directed the film and it feels relentless, creating more suspense out of quiet dialogue than any non-Tarantino film in memory.
I'm not going to reveal any of the film's twists and turns. They are plentiful.
There are moments that reminded me of Christopher Nolan and his brilliant film, "The Prestige". There are pieces that feel like "Hereditary", one of my favorite horror films of all time.
If comeuppance is a dish best served cold, characters deliver it in frozen, brutal style. I loved every path this film took. In the moment, some choices seemed forced, but the film wasn't done with me yet.
Thatcher and East are terrific. Both actresses were raised in the Mormon church and bring a palpable truth to their portrayals.
Grant is fantastic. Lulling you into casual conversation, his words are like weapons, sharpened and ready to carve apart your responses. His Mr. Reed is all the more terrifying since his position on religions is so informed. Watching the Sister's reactions to his education weaves a delicate line, perfectly plotted.
Beck and Woods wrote the role for Grant after seeing him say in an interview that he's tired of playing the same parts over and over again.
Mission accomplished.
You'll never hear Radiohead's "Creep" quite the same way again........
HERETIC feels like Bill Maher's brilliant 2008 film "Religulous" turned into a horror thriller that delivers intelligent thrills. I didn't see that coming, but I loved it.
HERETIC gets an A.
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