Hugh Grant delivers another terrific turn in the second act of his career as Mr Reed, a character with the pleasantries of his early career, the dastardliness of Phoenix Buchanan and a darker, sinister face that he adds to the ever-expanding Rubix cube of one of Britain’s finest actors. Heretic follows two young girls, who are Mormon missionaries trying to strum up support in what has become an increasingly atheist world. The two sisters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints roam the streets of a typical American town, walking their bikes, handing out leaflets to no avail, walking to homes that have expressed interest in their cause. They are like girls on a paper round, doing their job, but you’re not exactly sure whether they believe in their cause, which they struggle to find participants to convert.
The two sisters, Paxton (Chloe East), an unblemished abstinent, and the slightly more rebellious Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) are sheltered from a sinful world in terms of Orthodox Christianity, discussing the accidental discovery of pornography and condom sizes as if a foreign concept in a new, dangerous world. They are embarrassed and ashamed to talk about these things. Barnes and Paxton are shown as different, their long dresses are out-of-vouge with teenage fashion and when a group of girls go up to them asking for a photo in mocking wonderment, the sisters oblige in freeing and surprising joy, only to find out the girls are only interested in seeing the sisters ‘magical underwear’.
The film opens with the concept of discussing what we believe, and whether we believe that because we were told and brainwashed from a young age. As the celibate sisters strut up to the home of Hugh Grant’s Mr Reed, a sheltered lodging with a short path to the building, nestled in the woods on what can be assumed to be the outskirts of the house. As the rain gushes down they are desperate to get a response at the door, and after a while Grant’s cheery British figure appears with a watering can held like a man who is in early retirement. Grant’s spiritually curious pensioner is warming, welcoming the missionaries into his abode with the warming essence of Blueberry pie, whilst nonchalantly mentioning the walls are bolstered with metal foreshadowing their imminent entrapment.
The film discusses the place of religion within contemporary culture. Mr Reed’s warming demeanour opens with an enquiring debate but soon turns into something more nasty and playful. Reed is fascinated by religion’s place within a contemporary setting and uses it as a face for how people change to conform or control. For instance, posing whether the Mormons rejected polygamy because they actually believed it or if it was just to regain the public’s trust and gain a larger following. It is a dialect between our relationship with god, as Reed states it is our personal relationship with God that matters rather than the tribalistic nature of religious factions.
An engaging chiller, this will be a slow burn for some expecting scares, but it is anything but in terms of context, with a scintillating script questioning everything the two sisters have grown up thinking, Grant is playing with his food, in ideological foreplay before the game is afoot. Although I was expecting the premise to wear thin, the maze segment hinted at in the trailers only occurs at the film’s midpoint, taking time to set out who these people are, unravelling their secrets in a tense and nervous battle of psychological warfare.
Hugh Grant adds another great performance to what is becoming an impressive renaissance career. His character is completely deranged with the iconic look of a geometric jumper, giant glasses that look like they have come straight out of a chemistry lab, and down with the kids' trainers. Grant is enjoying every moment of this, with wacky Scottish inflexions, a cover of Radiohead’s Creep and a Jar Jar Binks impression as he proclaims The Phantom Menace is the latest iteration of the story of Jesus and other prophet-like figures. His performance is campy at times, having great fun in a role that is sinister, dark and great fun. One of the great villains who we enjoy is his love for the game, as he mansplains his way through the role of religion throughout the course of history. Like a Gamekeeper out of The Hunger Games, Grant is the ultimate puppet master, even carving out little wooden figures like a kid playing with his Lego, crossing off each moment of his devious plan.
Heretic is a smart and intellectual script without any holes or flaws in logic. Whilst it is steeped in religious and ideological lore and jargon, it is playful as Reed dampens the sisters’ spirits by showing they are just iterations of what he calls The Big 3, comparing Judaism to The Landlord’s Game (The OG), whilst Christianity is the more popular remake, Monopoly. The film points out the neglect of religion, stating people don’t finish the bible, and that all religious fables are one and the same. It is just a game of control which Reed uses as a platform for his own game of cat and mouse.
In terms of horror, Heretic is hardly groundbreaking. Its maze premise is a little underplayed, Mr Reed’s grounded basement is not as extensive as one would think, not a labyrinth but more the few rooms you would find in your local escape room. Surprisingly the darker and more horrifying aspects of the latter section are not as thrilling as Reed’s barrage of philosophical torture in the first half in a breezy film that feels much shorter than the almost two-hour runtime. It feels more like an 80-minute flick that could go further, with Grant’s scintillating performance being the engaging factor.
Heretic is great fun, like an escape room layered with ideological conversation, that whilst it doesn’t necessarily provide any answers, the questions layered full of pop culture references combined with a dazzling Grant performance make this an enjoyable crowdpleaser.
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