Heretic

2024

1h 51m

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

2.1K

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99+ Images

Horror

Thriller

Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

Directors

Scott Beck

Bryan Woods

Writers

Bryan Woods(writer by)

Scott Beck(writer by)

Stars

Hugh Grant

Sophie Thatcher

Chloe East

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Top cast

Mr. Reed

Sister Barnes

Sister Paxton

Elder Kennedy

Prophet

Pedestrian

Teenager

Teenager

Teenager

Neighbor

Neighbor

Believer

Disciple

Missionary #1 (uncredited)

Carolyn Adair

Driver with Car (uncredited)

Directors

Scott Beck

Bryan Woods

Writers

Bryan Woods(writer by)

Scott Beck(writer by)

All cast & crew

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In the new film “Heretic”, two missionaries named Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) spend their days in fellowship and looking to bring new members into their faith. Sister Paxton is the more sheltered of the two as Sister Barnes comes from the East Coast and joined the church through conversion and appears much wiser in the ways of the world to her colleague. Eager to get her first new member for Sister Paxton; the two venture to visit Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who had earlier expressed interest in their church and as such; made his way onto the contact list for the girls. A storm arrives at the same time the girls do but unable to enter the home of Mr. Reed without a female being present; they are assured that his wife is baking in the kitchen and accept his offer to come in out of the weather. They find Mr. Reed charming and very well-versed in theology as he says that he has been studying religions for over a decade and his knowledge is very impressive to the girls yet his questions, answers, and tone start to become disturbing to the girls as does the absence of his wife whom he claims is just in the other room. Looking for a chance to leave, the girls discover that they are locked in and the house has a metal overlay that blocks their cell signals. Further complicating matters is the increasingly odd behavior of Mr. Reed who insists that they are free to leave at any time yet confronts them with all manner of theological questions, theories, and challenges at every turn. What follows is a chilling exercise in faith for the girls in a gripping film that keeps you guessing all along. The cast is solid and Grant is very good playing against type. This is not the usual psycho slasher that audiences often see in films of this type but a deep psychological game of terror and manipulation as he believes that he is helping the girls see the truth amongst all the dogma. The film does play a bit to Hollywood for my taste in the final act as certain revelations and outcomes went away from the clever premise that had been established in favor of more traditional situations, but the vast majority of the film was chilling, engaging, and captivating and was powered by strong performances all around. Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods who also wrote the film; are no strangers to Horror and Suspense as their resumes are filled with some very tense films and have crafted a film that works as an intense thriller. 4 stars out of 5

garethmb04 Nov, 2024