Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are two hot Mormon missionaries going door to door and spreading their gospel. They meet a seemingly kind man named Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) who is anxious to hear about their religion and invites them into his home for pie and spiritual discussion. Slowly, it becomes apparent that he has not been entirely truthful and is using his religious debate as a pretext for something diabolical. Before long, he puts their beliefs to the test as he forces them to participate in a deadly game.
Grant deftly warps his rom-com leading man persona into something sublimely sinister in Heretic. He channels his typical stuttering deference into a superficial facade that makes his usual Cheshire Cat grin feel vaguely threatening and creepy. His performance is among the many joys of the film.
Thatcher is the hottest actress in horror right now after starring in this, The Boogeyman, and Companion in the span of three years. She turns in yet another fine performance here as she is fun to watch as the skeptical missionary. East is quite good too as the more polite and mannered sister of the pair.
Heretic was the brainchild of writers/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. I run hot and cold on their stuff. While I pretty much despised Haunt, I found their cheesy Sci-Fi flick 65 to be semi-amusing. I’m happy to say that this is their best effort yet. The claustrophobic setting paired with Grant’s dynamic performance makes for a truly captivating film. I especially like the way Grant arced his religious thesis into an all-encompassing message about pop culture as he compares various religions to different iterations of Monopoly board games and covers of rock songs. Although it kind of runs out of steam in the third act and has a predicable conclusion, the set-up is aces and the cast is terrific.
In short, Heretic was good enough to make me a believer.
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