Do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Saviour, Hugh Grant?
Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to see The Book of Mormon on Broadway. Before seeing it, I of course knew what Mormons were, but we don’t get a lot of them in Ireland, so my knowledge of them extended no further than ‘those are the guys that will try to convert you to their religion if you open the door to them.’
After seeing the musical, which forced me to look into some of the more bizarre claims the writers made about them, my perception of the religion grew so much worse. Yes: worse. Instead of rolling my eyes and ignoring their organisation like I do all religions, I instead started to view them through a lens of sheer disbelief.
Apparently 69% of my country is Catholic, but even Catholicism is too much of a stretch for me. Now, I don’t believe that the practitioners of any faith are particularly evil people or anything, but I think that living with the beliefs of Mormonism requires a certain level of selective perception that exceeds that of the major religions.
You don’t need me to do a deep dive of all the baffling contradictions and practises of the Mormon Church. You can read all about it on Wikipedia if you’d like. Fair warning: it will make you want to grab the next Mormon you meet and shake them, crying ‘Snap out of it! You don’t really believe this, do you?’
It’s an urge that Heretic writer/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have both surely felt, too. To be clear, this urge is entirely disrespectful of a worshippers’ agency. Attempting to convince someone to abandon their religion is gauche on another level, but Beck and Woods found a loophole: why not explore this urge by making a movie about it instead?
Jesus Wept
When two Mormon missionaries, Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher), visit the home of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), an affable and educated Englishman, their discussions of faith and their church quickly sour when he informs them that he has evidence of the One True Religion.
Heretic is not a movie about making fun of Mormons or about pointing out the inherent absurdity of religions. Many atheists enjoy picking apart doctrines and exposing a religion’s more ludicrous beliefs, but none of these ‘arguments’ will ever sway a true believer. Nevertheless, one might initially accuse Heretic of attempting to do just that.
Indeed, Mr. Reed seems to relish in pointing out, in various ways, how Sisters Paxton and Barnes’s faith is simply a popular iteration of a story that extends back well beyond even the time of Jesus Christ. I’ll admit, there’s a certain perverse glee to be had in watching the somewhat level-headed Reed dismantle the foundation of Mormonism and other modern religions.
Divine Fate
What makes this so compelling is, of course, partly down to the characters he’s trying to convince. Barnes is the slightly more grounded of the two young women; possessing an edge, authority, and savviness that Paxton seems to lack. Paxton may be somewhat oblivious, but she’s actually a great spin on a horror movie protagonist.
Horror fans love to see a naïve character get their comeuppance. Making a stupid decision in a horror movie is often a death sentence. After all, that’s what the character gets for not calling 911, or following a stranger down a dark alley, or splitting up the group. In this way, watching Paxton confront Reed’s assertions and ‘evidence’ is fun in only a way horror movies can be.
She doesn’t quite have the same fortitude as Barnes, but watching the narrative push her to evolve her worldview makes for gripping cinema. In what ways will Barnes and Paxton allow their beliefs to be changed in order to survive their encounter with Reed? That’s the central question, and Heretic is worth watching to see how it will be answered.
Taken For Granted
As I watched Heretic, there were two things I was worried might happen; I didn’t want to see our protagonists escape their predicament with the ‘power of faith’, but neither did I want to the movie to smugly denounce all faiths and have the message of the movie be so self-serving. Heretic is, honestly, the best of both worlds because it avoids pandering to the audience with a specific message while also delivering a cathartic ending rich with meaning.
I also need to take a moment to praise the acting in this movie. Hugh Grant is such perfect casting for this his role of Mr. Reed. Grant doesn’t typically do horror, but his innate charm and charisma fits this role like a glove. It’s so fun to watch him nail a character that’s typically outside his wheelhouse. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East are also remarkably good. Watching them sell how uncomfortable they are while maintaining a polite exterior is thrilling acting.
Heretic is a brilliant movie that I'm absolutely putting on my list of the best movies of the year. It is simply wonderful to watch a horror movie so firmly grounded in questions of human psychology and society. I can't speak to how someone religious might find it, but I think almost everybody, no matter what their faith, will find something interesting in Heretic.
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