13 December,2024 08:18 PM IST | Mumbai | Johnson Thomas
A still from Heretic
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (writers of âA Quiet Place,') are back writing and directing this dramatic horror tale that follows young Mormon missionaries Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) who are out knocking on doors. One of the doors that they knock on is that of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), a seemingly harmless old man eager to have a discourse on religion with the two young and naive missionaries.
The two Sisters Barnes and Paxton, are hoping to convert Mr. Reed, but they quickly realise they have bitten off more than they can chew. He appears to know more about religion than they do and as the discussion stretches into the night with a storm raging outside and the sinister Mr. Reed holding them captive inside,the sisters find their faith tested and their lives at risk to a madman who has no limits.
The setup in the first hour or so is pretty good. The discussion gets deeply intellectual about the nature of religion bringing up Mormonism, Judaism, Christianity and several other world religions. There's plenty of see-sawing tension and scary thrills to be had too. Even when things escalate, and events go out of control, the nature of the narrative changes to that of traditional horror, and there are enough surprises coming at you.
As the discussion shifts from religion to polygamy to fast food and comes back to rest on blueberry pie and the missing wife who seems to have excuses lined up for not being present, the Sisters realise their big mistake. They are entrapped and the Sisters begin to grasp how much danger they're in. They seek to hide their panic, insist again on seeing the wife and hope to reason and work-their way out of this peril.
"Heretic" moves from diabolical intelligent horror to serial killer thriller conventions for its plot and rising suspense. Beck and Woods create a tense environment, assisted by a supple pace, great cinematography and thought-provoking dialogue. But eventually the film falters as religion gives way to genre conventions and the ending becomes predictable. Mr. Reed's motivations make little sense thereafter and the character devolves into someone who serves the plot. Hugh Grant does well to look harmless and then make it to threatening in the blink of an eye. Thatcher and East do exceptionally well as two young women with different starting points on religion, undergoing a crisis of faith and safety. Heretic is a horror thriller that gets you thinking and that's a rare beast from this genre!
