Heretic, A24's new psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, lives up to the promise of taking its audience on a variety of deathly twists and turns.
Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, Heretic premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and was given a wide release on November 8.
Heretic is set to open with a solid $11 million over the Veterans Day weekend, positioning it alongside The Best Christmas Pageant Ever in a close race for the second spot.
This opening performance surpasses other A24 genre titles like Midsommar and The Witch, underscoring some of the inherent intrigue surrounding its ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Establishing The Mormon Church
Heretic opens with Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), two missionaries of the Mormon Church.
Barnes comes across as the more experienced and successful missionary, having converted at least seven people she has visited with. Paxton is more innocent, discussing how a pornographic movie she watched made her feel bad for those in the video, as their life purpose was missing (or unholy).
The two missionaries are visiting those who have previously shown interest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
As a storm rolls in, Barnes and Paxton lock their bikes on the fence outside of a house, and head towards the door. After knocking, hearing noise from within, and waiting, Hugh Grant's Mr. Reed opens with door with a smile.
Trapped in Mr. Reed's House
Barnes and Paxton explain to Mr. Reed that in order for them to come in, there needs to be a woman present for safety reasons.
Mr. Reed assures them that's no problem, as his wife is home and preparing a blueberry pie, that sounds great to the missionaries standing in the cold rain.
The three sit down and begin discussing faith and religion. As Mr. Reed initially appears perfectly neighborly, a question about polygamy begins to give Barnes, Paxton, and the audience a sinking feeling in their stomachs.
While not totally out of control (yet), several discoveries cause the missionaries to feel endangered: there's no cell phone reception due to metal walls and ceiling, the front door is locked from the inside, and the lit candle is "Blueberry Pie" scented.
Christianity is the Monopoly of Religions
Mr. Reed invites the missionaries into his study and launches into a philosophical and unsettling monologue on religion.
Mr. Reed's speech dives into organized religion’s recurrent patterns, which he interprets as undermining their uniqueness and truth. To make these complex ideas more accessible, the filmmakers use The Landlord's Game and Monopoly to illustrate the variations of monotheistic religions.
At one point, the Mormon Church is compared to the Bob Ross version of Monopoly.
Mr. Reed references the game's origins, highlighting its feminist roots (Elizabeth Magie created The Landlord's Game) before it was commercialized by Parker Brothers in 1933, which he connects to control dynamics in religion.
He also draws parallels between Christian and Mormon mythologies, linking them to older religions and even comparing them to Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. This gives viewers a darkly humorous look at Grant's Jar Jar Binks' imitation.
Although Mr. Reed promises they’re free to leave, he reveals that the front door lock is on an automated timer, forcing them to find another way out. Paxton and
Barnes realizes their bike lock key has somehow ended up in Paxton's coat, further hinting that Mr. Reed is only telling them half-truths.
After Mr. Reed's lengthy diatribe attempting to refute all religion, he presents the girls with two back doors as their way out, instructing them to choose based on their belief: one door for those who still believe in God, and the other for those who do not.
Barnes initially heads to the "Disbelief" door, challenging his assertions before she and her friend ultimately choose the "Belief" door.
A Dark Turn to the False Prophet
In a twisted turn of events, Mr. Reed leads the girls to a basement dungeon, where he introduces them to "The Prophet" (Elle Young)—a frail woman who consumes a poisoned pie and dies.
Mr. Reed claims the girls will witness her resurrection. Just then, a Mormon elder (Topher Grace) briefly arrives looking for the girls but leaves, as their bikes have vanished.
When the girls refocus on The Prophet, Paxton insists she moved, while Barnes denies it—until, to their shock, The Prophet suddenly revives and shares a vision of the afterlife. Mr. Reed presses them to recount what they saw, but Barnes dismisses The Prophet's experience as a typical near-death hallucination.
As Barnes distracts Mr. Reed, she subtly signals Paxton to attack. Yet before she can act, Mr. Reed unexpectedly slashes Barnes’s throat, claiming she too will return from death, then recounts a story blurring the lines between dreams and reality.
As Barnes bleeds out, Mr. Reed extracts a metal object from her arm, insisting it’s proof that Barnes was artificial and part of a simulated reality.
Paxton, however, recognizes it as a contraceptive implant, and realizes that Mr. Reed orchestrated the entire scene: while the girls were distracted, a second woman swapped places with The Prophet’s body and recited Mr. Reed’s scripted "afterlife" tale, inserting an unscripted line, "It’s not real." Mr. Reed, improvising to salvage his plan, had then killed Barnes.
Determined, Paxton finds a hidden chute leading from the dungeon, where she encounters caged women, understanding Mr. Reed’s final twisted message: the drive to control others underlies all religions.
She stabs Mr. Reed in the neck with a hidden letter opener and attempts to escape, but he retaliates, stabbing her as well. Bleeding out, Paxton begins to pray—not for herself, but as an act of kindness.
Just as Mr. Reed is about to end her life, Barnes reappears, delivering a fatal blow to Mr. Reed with a plank before succumbing to her wounds.
Was The Butterfly Real?
Paxton escapes to freedom, but as she pauses outside, a butterfly briefly lands on her hand—a poignant nod to her earlier wish to be reincarnated as a butterfly appearing to her loved ones.
The butterfly’s sudden disappearance blurs the line between reality and illusion, leaving Paxton's fate uncertain.
While it was a simple moment to end the film, the butterfly's existence (or lack thereof) is a direct parallel to the ideas of religion challenged throughout the film.
As Heretic ultimately turns into a twisted horror flick, every audience member also has the opportunity to meditate on their own faith, ideals, and whether or nor the one truly religion is simply "control."
Heretic is now playing in theaters.
