Heretic Review: Challenging your beliefs can be a deeply unsettling experience. You might question whether there’s an afterlife, or feel small in the face of the vastness of the universe. Do you reject everything you once believed, shut yourself off, or seek a new sense of purpose knowing your time is finite? Or perhaps you go down the path of dismissing it all, boasting about breaking free from belief systems? If the latter sounds familiar, Heretic could be the film for you.

Sisters Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Paxton (Chloe East) are two Mormon missionaries in Utah, eager to share the message of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, their efforts are met with cold stares and ridicule, especially after a TikTok post doesn’t go as planned. That is, until they knock on the door of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), a warm, friendly Englishman in an overly casual sweater who seems genuinely interested in learning about their faith. With his wife baking blueberry pie in the kitchen, Mr. Reed invites the sisters inside for a discussion about the Book of Mormon (the religious text, not the musical). But as Sister Barnes starts noticing strange details about the house, what begins as a friendly conversation quickly turns into something far more sinister, as Mr. Reed’s hidden agenda begins to surface, leading the sisters into a chilling confrontation with his twisted beliefs.

The Frustrating Nonbeliever

In case you’re wondering, a “heretic” is someone whose views clash with the beliefs of the majority, often making them an outcast in society. While the term may feel outdated today, with many viewing those who challenge religious dogma as courageous figures, taking a firm stand against popular religions like Christianity or Mormonism requires a lot of conviction. Unfortunately, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, known for A Quiet Place and 65, don’t quite manage to solidify their argument in Heretic. As writers and directors, their movie struggles to stand firm, with its premise faltering as it tries to make its point.

The script of Heretic has Mr. Reed delivering countless long-winded speeches about the history of religion, but they mostly come off as recycled clichés with no real depth. The writing feels overly pretentious, attempting to be clever with bizarre analogies about the Monopoly board game and how Radiohead’s “Creep” supposedly plagiarized a 1972 song by The Hollies. Even Jar Jar Binks is mentioned at one point. Mr. Reed’s “edgy” takes on faith and miracles seem like an imitation of Quentin Tarantino’s pop-culture-heavy dialogue from the ’90s, making what should be a menacing villain seem more tiresome than intimidating.

Heretic tries to explore the power of belief but fails to deliver the suspense it promises. The ominous maze in the trailers is just a musty basement and dull tunnels, lacking real scares. Over an hour of its 111-minute runtime is consumed by Mr. Reed’s tedious sermons, leaving little space for tension. The camerawork is awkward, with jarring angles, and the film relies heavily on cliched “trapped in a house” tropes, like failed escape attempts and predictable interruptions.

Praise This Chaos

Despite the film’s lackluster horror, the cast manages to inject some life into it. Thatcher and East make for an interesting pair, with East capturing the naive innocence of a devout believer. Thatcher, on the other hand, shines as the more cynical counterpart, convincingly challenging Mr. Reed’s intellectual facade. She brings a level of intensity similar to Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu, and could easily take on roles Taylor-Joy passes up for larger paydays. Unfortunately, their performances are undermined by the film’s failure to deliver a satisfying final showdown with Mr. Reed.

Hugh Grant takes center stage in Heretic, marking his debut in a major horror role. Rather than a complete transformation, his performance feels like a reimagining of his usual talents. Grant delivers his iconic, stammering English charm as Mr. Reed, but this time it’s a veneer for something far darker beneath. While this shift is intriguing and Grant’s natural charisma shines through effortlessly, it’s a letdown that the script doesn’t fully unleash a more menacing side of his character in the film’s final moments.

Final Thoughts on Heretic

It’s ironic that Heretic revolves around a character who dismisses religions as inherently empty, considering the film itself feels lacking at its core. The premise is set, and the actors are ready to tackle the weighty themes presented, but the script fails to deliver the emotional impact or societal critique it seems to aim for. Instead, it feels like the work of an edgy college student who binge-watched atheist videos and penned a paper on why they reject God. Beck and Woods fill the film with shallow clichés, leaving little of substance for the audience to latch onto.