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Heretic (film)

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This article is about the 2024 film. For other similarly-named films, see Heretic (disambiguation) § Film and theatre.

Heretic
Theatrical release poster
Directed byScott Beck
Bryan Woods
Written by
  • Scott Beck
  • Bryan Woods
Produced by
  • Stacey Sher
  • Scott Beck
  • Bryan Woods
  • Julia Glausi
  • Jeanette Volturno
Starring
CinematographyChung Chung-hoon
Edited byJustin Li
Music byChris Bacon
Production
companies
  • Beck/Woods
  • Shiny Penny
Distributed byA24
Release dates
  • September 8, 2024 (2024-09-08) (TIFF)
  • November 8, 2024 (2024-11-08) (United States)
Running time
111 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget<$10 million
Box office$25.4 million[2][3]

Heretic is a 2024 American psychological horror[4][5][6] film written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. It stars Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East, and follows two missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who attempt to convert a reclusive Englishman, only to realize he is more dangerous than he seems.

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024, and was released in the United States by A24 on November 8, 2024. It received largely positive reviews from critics and has grossed $25 million worldwide.

Plot

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Two Mormon missionaries, confident Sister Barnes and timid Sister Paxton, arrive at the home of a reclusive Englishman, Mr. Reed. Reed invites them into his home, but the missionaries are hesitant to be alone with Reed. He assures them they are not alone because his wife is preparing a blueberry pie in the back of the house. They enter and begin to discuss religion, with Reed making several uncomfortable comments about the Mormon faith and the nature of belief. When Reed steps out of the room, Barnes realizes that the smell of blueberry pie is from a candle, the front door is locked, and they have no phone signal.

Following Reed, they enter his study, where he proceeds to give a threatening lecture arguing that all religions are adaptations of one another, and claims to have found the one true religion. Reed gives the girls a choice of two doors to go through in order to exit the house, one if they still believe in God, and one if they do not. Barnes rebels, refuting several of his claims, before they both enter the "Belief" door, only to discover both doors lead to the same dungeon.

A decrepit woman appears, eats a poisoned pie, and dies, with Reed claiming that she is a Prophet of God and the pair will witness her resurrection. A Mormon elder arrives looking for the girls but leaves after discovering nothing. The girls unsuccessfully try screaming to get the Elder's attention, and after returning to the dungeon they witness the Prophet rise again and describe the afterlife. Barnes rejects the Prophet's description, noting its similarity to common hallucinations from near-death experiences. When Barnes gives Paxton a signal to attack Reed, he slashes Barnes's throat and claims that she, too, will resurrect.

After Barnes bleeds out, Reed removes a metal object from inside her arm, claiming it is a microchip and it proves that Barnes was not real and the world is a simulation. Paxton, however, recognises the object as a contraceptive implant, and realizes that everything was carefully orchestrated by Reed; while the girls were distracted by the Elder's arrival, a second woman hid the Prophet's corpse before taking her place and delivering the afterlife description as scripted by Reed, adding an unplanned comment: "It's not real." Reed's killing of Barnes and attempt to convince Paxton of a simulated reality was an improvisation to cover the plan going awry. Paxton discovers an underground chute through which the Prophet's corpse was hidden and climbs down with Reed promising it will show her the "one true religion."

Paxton finds a chamber full of emaciated women in cages, where she deduces Reed's conclusion: that a desire to control others is the root of all religions. Paxton stabs Reed with a letter opener, but Reed stabs her as she tries to escape. As they bleed in the basement, Paxton begins to pray, claiming to a vexed Reed that it is done to show kindness to others rather than to produce material results. Reed prepares to finish her off, but a still-living Barnes kills him with a plank of wood before dying. Paxton climbs out of a window and sees a butterfly land on her hand; she had earlier expressed a desire to be reincarnated as a butterfly that appears on the hands of her loved ones. The butterfly suddenly vanishes, leaving an injured and confused Paxton alone in the snowy landscape.

Cast

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Production

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In June 2023, it was reported that Scott Beck and Bryan Woods wrote and would direct the A24 film, Heretic. Hugh Grant and Chloe East were cast in lead roles.[10]

The production was granted an interim agreement allowing filming during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[11] On a budget of under $10 million,[12] Principal photography took place in Vancouver over 30 days from October 3 to November 16, 2023.[13][14]

Release

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Heretic premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024.[15][16] The film was scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on November 15, 2024,[17] before it was moved up from its original release date of November 15 to November 8.[18] It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland a week earlier on November 1.[1]

Reception

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Box office

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As of November 17, 2024, Heretic has grossed $20.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $25.4 million.[3][2]

In the United States and Canada, Heretic was released alongside The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Elevation, Weekend in Taipei, and the wide expansion of Anora, and was projected to gross around $8 million from 3,221 theaters in its opening weekend.[19] The film made $4.3 million on its first day, including $1.2 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $11 million, finishing second behind holdover Venom: The Last Dance.[20]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 185 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Hugh Grant has infectious fun playing against type in Heretic, a religious horror that preaches the gospel of cerebral chills over cheap shocks."[21] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[22] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 70% overall positive score.[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Heretic (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 25, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Heretic – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Heretic (2024)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  4. ^ Robinson, Tasha (November 8, 2024). "Yes, the horror movie Heretic is about current American politics, according to its directors". Polygon. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  5. ^ King, Jack (November 1, 2024). "Heretic's directors on Hugh Grant's freaky era, Mormonism, and cinema smell-o-vision". British GQ. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  6. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (October 31, 2024). "Heretic review – religious horror with a suave, dapper and evil Hugh Grant". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (June 25, 2024). "Heretic Trailer: Hugh Grant Lures Pair Of Missionaries Into Cat-And-Mouse Game In A24 Horror Film From A Quiet Place Duo". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  8. ^ "Heretic". A24 Publicity. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  9. ^ Hullender, Tatiana (September 25, 2024). "Hugh Grant & Heretic Team Talk Exploring Mormonism Through A Horror Lens [TIFF]". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  10. ^ Galuppo, Mia (June 9, 2023). "The Fabelmans Breakout Chloe East in Talks for A24 Thriller from Scott Beck, Bryan Woods (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  11. ^ Hipes, Patrick (August 16, 2023). "SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements: Full List Of Movies And TV Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  12. ^ Coyle, Jake (November 10, 2024). "Heretic and Hugh Grant debut with $11 million, but Venom: The Last Dance tops box office again". Associated Press. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "In Production British Columbia". Creative BC Film Commission. August 18, 2023. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  14. ^ Kay, Jeremy. "Directors Scott Beck, Bryan Woods talk courting Hugh Grant for their TIFF religion horror Heretic". Screen Daily. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  15. ^ "Heretic". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  16. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 22, 2024). "TIFF Galas & Special Presentations Lineup Includes World Premieres From Angelina Jolie, Mike Leigh, Gia Coppola; Starry Pics With Jennifer Lopez, Lily James, Dave Bautista; Int'='l Premieres Conclave & Piece By Piece, More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  17. ^ D’Alessandro, Anthony (May 30, 2024). "A24 Dates Fall & Holiday Slate With 'The Front Room', 'A Different Man', 'We Live In Time', 'Heretic' & 'Baby Girl'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  18. ^ Navarro, Megan (September 19, 2024). "Heretic 2nd Trailer Brings New Release Date and Closer Look at Hugh Grant's Sinister Villain". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  19. ^ "Hugh Grant's 'Heretic' Could Scare Off 'Venom 3' This Weekend; Curtains Lift On 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' – Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  20. ^ a b "'Venom: The Last Dance' $18M+, 'Christmas Pageant' & 'Heretic' Remain In Dead Heat For No. 2 With $12M+ Apiece – Veterans Day Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  21. ^ "Heretic". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  22. ^ "Heretic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
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