30/35
Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East in Heretic, plus more modern women killing the horror game
Chronology
Two young religious women are drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse in the house of a strange man.. The music at the end credits is a version of the 1973 version of "Knocking on Heavens Door" set to the tune of "Fade into You" by Mazzy Star. A nod to the fact that "Creep" by Radiohead is a 1992 reiteration (due to the melody) of the 1974 song "The Air That I Breathe" by The Hollies, previously mentioned by Grant in the movie.. The end credits state that no Generative Al was used in the making of the film..
What the hell is Hugh doing here?
Featured in Movie Reviews: Heretic | The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024). Hugh doesn't belong here…Or maybe, just maybe, Hugh does belong here! Maybe horror is Hugh's true calling, and did he waste 30 years of his career on romantic comedies! That's an exaggeration, of course, and I still love most of his silly rom coms.
Perhaps it's purely thanks to Hugh Grant's uncanny charisma as Mr
Fact is, though, that Hugh Grant gives away a perplexing performance as the disturbing and terrifying villain in "Heretic".There's a lot more about Scott Beck & Bryan Wood's "Heretic" that deserves praise and attention! I didn't expect a horror script full of theological enquiries and debates, and I most certainly didn't expect that I would be so fascinated by the subject! Reed, and the way he intimidates and petrifies two innocent young Mormon girls that show up on his doorstep, but the more talkative "Heretic" became, the more I loved it. Reed is like an eloquent big bad wolf, preying on two cherubic but naïve Little Red Riding Hoods.
And you know what's most intriguing?
It's an absorbing thriller spectacle that keeps you gazing at the screen with amazement for half the film. Many things Reed says about various aspects of religion make total sense!When "Sisters" Barnes and Paxton are lured into Reed's eerie basement, "Heretic" maneuvers into more familiar and grotesque territory. Theory is put into practice and verbal terror turns into physical horror, which somehow makes the film less unique. Some action was necessary, I reckon, and luckily "Heretic" remains entertaining and suspenseful throughout.PS: the link with Radiohead's "Creep" in the first couple of lines isn't coincidental.