by Christian Grullon, Contributing Writer
Hollywood has recently been in a religious era, exploring faith and spirituality in different ways. Heretic, A24’s latest horror movie, joins the growing religious dialogue, exploring faith and its impact on people. The filmstars the charismatic Hugh Grant, who delivers a great performance that is both riveting and unsettling. Two Mormon missionaries, Sisters Paxton (Chloe East) and Barnes (Sophie Thatcher), visit a very jovial Mr. Reed (Grant), who poses questions challenging the girls’ religion, showing the complexities of faith and belief.
The girls soon face some crucibles that challenge their faith and sanity. Amazingly, Grant steps into the role of a seemingly friendly man in the beginning. However, he shows his darker, more sinister side when the girls least expect it. The movie does well with cinematography, using the rural environment to create a resemblance of isolation that intensifies the tension.
While the film resorts to traditional horror tricks like blood, violence, and jump scares, most of it is a psychological thriller. The reality of two young ladies in an older man’s home creates nauseating tension. Grant’s performance is unforgettable, showcasing a complex character. His performance as a troubled person haunted by existential questions raises the authenticity.
One of the haunting things in Heretic is the threat that the belief of the faith worldview is a lie. That scary message allows Grant to excel at playing the deranged psychopath. He is soft-spoken, which makes him unsettling. The movie deviates from body horror and engages in a psychological thriller.
Heretic is the opposite of the faith-based God’s Not Dead series. That series depicts Christians steamrolling hardcore atheists with clever religious arguments and proofs of God’s existence. Heretic is an atheist’s God’s Not Dead. The movie raises some important questions regarding faith and a belief in God. How much of what we believe is the byproduct of our upbringing and personal experiences? What about the similarities in religions that predate Jesus Christ?
Those questions are fair to ask; the problem, however, is that the film isn’t willing to evaluate them honestly. Grant is a compelling individual for religious skeptics, and he uses several monologues to make his argument. The two Mormon missionaries are silent, as if they weren’t prepared to defend themselves.
Overall, although Heretic is pretty clever in horror, it gives a biased perspective toward religion. Although the concept is very promising, it does poorly in having a good-faith conversation about faith. Instead, it treats religious objections as knockout blows. The one-sided perspective is too much for Grant’s performance to overcome.
Rating: Didn’t Like It
Heretic is currently playing in theaters
You can read more from Christian Grullon, or follow him on Twitter