*Heretic* is A24’s latest horror-thriller hybrid that forsakes genre conventions in favor of featuring a dialogue-rich, philosophically driven story about religion, faith, and the control people have of navigating their own life. // *Image: A24*

I’ve talked before about how horror is not typically my genre of choice, regardless of the medium. More so than other genres, horror movies often struggle to break free of genre conventions. For every impressive horror movie that treads new ground for the genre, there are ten or more jump scare-filled duds that fail to leave much to chew on. That said, the few horror movies that break through the genre mold and get to communicate unique ideas in a compelling way only capable by this particular genre of storytelling is when I see the brilliant potential that horror provides.

2024 has been a shockingly good year for horror movies. Earlier this season, I talked about The Substance, a brilliant use of body horror to tell a smartly told story about beauty standards, particularly as they relate to the entertainment industry and to self worth. Earlier this year, A24’s I Saw the TV Glow underwhelmed in certain areas, but may be the movie I’ve thought the most about this year, thanks to its unique “identity horror” that it explored.

Suffice to say, I’ve made an effort to be more open-minded about this genre and this year has rewarded me with great horror movies for doing so. A24’s latest film, Heretic, continues this trend of using horror to craft a uniquely compelling story that is enhanced by its unique, creepy tone. I’m unsure whether to fully categorize Heretic as a horror movie, though - this film leans more on thrilling the audience through insightful, philosophical conversations that serve as the plot’s main driving force. Regardless of whether you’d categorize it as a thriller or psychological horror film, Heretic is brilliant and serves as one of the most fascinating movies of the year in the way it explores religiosity, control, and how people are prone to believing things that they grow up being told. Heretic is a remarkably intelligent movie that stands a modern A24 classic and one of the best religion-critical movies to date.

*Heretic* features very few characters, instead primarily focusing on a long conversation between two Mormon missionaries and Mr. Reed, performed by a masterfully charismatic Hugh Grant that channels a brilliant mix of creepiness, intelligence, and skepticism. // *Image: A24*

Heretic begins with a comical conversation between two Mormon missionaries - Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton. The two young women talk about whether there’s a difference between regular and magnum condoms as they sit on a bench with an advertisement that seeks to give them a definitive answer. It’s a small, seemingly insignificant scene, and yet it perfectly encapsulates the mission statement of the film: can you truly believe what you’ve been told? Behind the magnum condom advertisement is a claim from a company that it wishes for potential customers to believe. Whether or not the company’s claims are true isn’t important in the eyes of the company trying to sell a product. To the consumers, though, there may be harm in blindly believing what’s told to them.

As Heretic progresses, we see this theme explored through the concept of religion as Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton are set to visit the houses of people who have expressed interest in learning about Mormonism. This leads them to the dwelling of Mr. Reed, played by Hugh Grant, who quickly welcomes the two women into his home as he prepares to host a conversation about their religion and whether it may be the “one true religion” that he’s looking for.

As soon as he enters the frame, it becomes clear: this is Hugh Grant’s movie. In time, I expect Mr. Reed to be remembered as one of the best villain’s in horror history, not necessarily because he’s deliciously evil or particularly horrifying, but because he features the perfect blend of likability, sympathy, humor, creepiness, and repulsiveness. Indeed, Mr. Reed is the type of person that’s willing to go to great lengths to make a point. Many of the critical arguments that he makes against religion compare religion to that of board games and music - how games like Monopoly or songs like Creep by Radiohead are derivative of what came before and only exist because they are iterated on and informed by the existence of conceptual predecessors.

As someone that went through a religion-critical journey earlier in life, the various points that Mr. Reed makes are often ones of complete fairness. His arguments are composed through strong writing that considers multiple angles so as to create a conversation that moves around quickly and is interesting to watch unfold. Indeed, the retorts that Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton make in response to Mr. Reed’s claims often hold equal weight and value. Lesser films may give either side of the conversation crucial weaknesses of either side that give the audience a clear side of the conversation to stand with, but that never quite happens in Heretic. Audiences of this movie will likely want to hear both sides out as the conversation progresses and involves more and more comparisons. That said, it becomes quickly clear that Mr. Reed is willing to go to great lengths to prove his points and force the two missionaries to make critical decisions regarding their faith and if they truly believe what their religion tells them to believe.

Sister Barnes, played by Sophie Thatcher, is the character that most actively engages with Mr. Reed’s points and pushes against some of his more radical claims. Indeed, the conversation between Mr. Reed and Sister Barnes begins as a conflict between religiosity and skepticism. As the movie progresses and drives up the stakes of the missionaries’ choices, this conflict evolves into being more concerned with the very principle and morality of believing in anything.

Barnes and Paxton struggle through the horrific situation they find themselves as they learn that there’s no clear escape from Mr. Reed’s house - the only true way to walk away from the conflict they find themselves in is to indulge Mr. Reed in the test that he’s devised for them. What results is an exciting, intellectually engaging story that features two sides that feel equally compelling to root for, even in spite of some of the horrific decisions that Mr. Reed makes.

The majority of *Heretic* features Sister Barnes, Sister Paxton, and Mr. Reed talking in his house. The phenomenal performances and writing carry this movie into being one of the most enticing movies of the year. // *Image: A24*

Choosing to craft a story built around a conversation that takes place in a single location brings with it unique challenges that need to be overcome. What can you do to get the most out of your single location? What can you do to make the conversation continually interesting? Do you want one side of the conversation to be more convincing than the other? Heretic clearly puts itself into a difficult corner thanks to its premise. It navigates its unique challenges through the use of some excellent writing that weaves the film’s characters through a conversation that’s as captivating as it is believable.

Hugh Grant’s charisma as Mr. Reed gives the film countless opportunities for him to command a conversation that feels as believable as it is humorous. Make no mistake: Heretic is a very funny movie. From moments where Mr. Reed abruptly shifts the conversation from religion to fast food, to a bizarre anecdote from Sister Paxton where she relates a woman’s expression in a pornographic video to being what made her feel vindicated for having found God, Heretic does an excellent job at creating a natural push-and-pull between comedy and fear. Hugh Grant plays Mr. Reed in such a way that makes him genuinely unpredictable. He appears calm and playful at all times and is often polite to the missionaries, yet he lies throughout the film so convincingly that it even takes the missionaries significant chunks of time to even realize that they’ve been maliciously deceived.

Beyond its near-perfect blend of humor and horror, Heretic manages to find the absolute sweet spot of finding something to say about faith without being pretentious about it - a trap a lot of religion-focused movies fall into. For a film that’s mostly a conversation between three characters, Heretic’s writing needs to emulate the often erratic, quick-moving nature of deep conversations while constantly offering a window of opportunity for the audience to learn about the film’s characters through the points they choose to make. Heretic excellently walks this line and crafts a movie that is as smartly crafted as it is fun to watch unfold.

Indeed, Heretic very well may stand as one of my favorite horror movies of all time because it uses the horror of uncomfortable conversations with strangers to intelligently engage with the very idea of principles and what informs our belief (or lack thereof). Heretic is a supremely smart, hilarious, and disturbing movie that masterfully balances emotion, logic, and skepticism to craft a story that is sure to inspire broader, deeper conversations about faith and its relationship with control among its audience.

And as a person that loves broad, deep conversations, there’s nothing more admirable than seeing a movie accomplish that.

Final Grade: A

Thank you very much for reading! What are your thoughts on Heretic? What do you think about its commentary on faith? As always, join the conversation and let me know what you think in the comments, on Bluesky @DerekExMachina, or on Twitter/X @DerekExMachina.