Heretic - Review 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

CONTROL by any means lies at the heart of horror film Heretic, an intelligent - if ultimately flawed - examination of religion that benefits from a mesmerising performance from Hugh Grant.

Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have some interesting things to debate about the true nature of faith, opting to engage the intellect rather than trigger too many scream reflexes, and thereby exercising a great deal of control of its own over viewers’ attention (particularly during the first half of proceedings).

But things start to unravel once the film opts to pander more to traditional horror tropes, feeling more formulaic as a result and loosening its grip on your attention and intellect.

Early on, the film introduces us to Grant’s seemingly empathetic Brit Mr Reed, who has expressed an interest in learning more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka the Mormon religion), and is thereby visited by two missionaries to discuss this with him.

The missionaries in question are the innocent Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and the marginally more worldly Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher), who tentatively enter his home, only to quickly develop a sense of unease.

Once inside, however, they find themselves trapped in a battle of ideological wits as Mr Reed forces them to confront their faith, while offering his own thoughts on what he deems to be the only true religion.

Grant’s casting is the master-stroke here, given how he plays on some of his trademark English charm to initially ingratiate himself with the girls (and, perhaps, the audience), while continually offering provocative insights that forces them to engage with him.

This early back and forth is great, especially when some of his views are challenged, thereby allowing Grant to delve into darker, more sinister territory in supremely creepy fashion. He seems to be having immense fun doing this, continually toying with both audiences.

To be fair, he’s aided by the brilliance of Beck and Woods’ script, too, which takes on Christianity, Judaism and the Karan, while simultaneously indulging pop references such as Star Wars and Jar-Jar Binks as well as Monopoly (the history of which is relayed in one of the film’s high points) to underline his points about itineration and how it manifests.

If willing, the film even has the potential to open some doors into wider conversation and research, if only to enhance your understanding of its ideas and themes.

It’s just a shame, then, that once Heretic takes its characters through different doors of its own (after Mr Reed forces his victims to choose their exit strategy), the film loses some of its ability to entertain amid a more derivative narrative approach.

There’s a more schlock horror approach to the second half of proceedings, as the girls navigate potentially supernatural elements and challenges in a bid to outwit Mr Reed and hasten their escape. The result, sadly, relies a little too heavily on cheap jump scares and grisly blood-letting, which actually dissipates some of the earlier tension.

Grant also drifts in and out of the spotlight a little more and his absence is sorely felt. While the final act lets down both his own character and the audiences’ intelligence.

Mr Reed posits that the only true religion is control, and the film thereby seeks to show how the girls have been controlled towards their fate. It’s an interesting concept - and one that Heretic itself also finds itself guilty of in attempting to control (or at least manipulate) your emotions in the final straight, having been content to make you do more of the work early on in being a part of the ideological debate.

A last gasp swing that once more requires the audience to make their own decision regarding the conclusion restores some of the initial cleverness. But overall, there’s a ruing of what might have been.

Certificate: 15

Running time: 1 hr 51mins