Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’s Heretic (2024) was a much-anticipated release for me this year. Behind the A24 label is a solid horror flick that has the perfect atmosphere, suspense, and tension. Not to mention, it is a beautifully shot film.
For a film called “Heretic”, I was expecting more allusions or imagery alluding to historical perceptions of heresy, motivated by nothing other than my own personal fascination with historical non-orthodox religious practices. Grant’s character, however, does seem to be, in his intellect and cunning with uncanny charm, the personification of a modernised diabolic figure, a true bonafide “heretic” according to traditional Christian theology.
The script takes the form of a philosophical or theological dialogue rather than a typical film or television script which is something not easily done well without sounding too over-the-top pretentious or archaic. However, in this case, it has been pulled off incredibly well, largely due to the stellar performances of Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East as Sisters Barnes and Paxton, as well as Hugh Grant’s brilliant portrayal of Mr. Reed.
What this film spectacularly delivers on is suspense. Sisters Barnes and Paxton consistently make “smart” choices, staying alert and aware and rational, so the tension does not rely on the viewer’s own annoyance by the protagonist’s incompetence. Rather, it provides a perfect sense of what it is to be trapped, utterly helpless— the audience feels tense because there is literally nothing that can be done for the girls to remove themselves from the situation, a staple of twenty-first-century horror cinema. It is not so much terrifying as it is distressing, which is personally something I prefer to see.
Its only setback? The third act is somewhat underwhelming and fails to successfully drive home the themes and crucially provide a compelling explanation as to why the events in the film happened in the first place, two things that are essential to ensuring a fulfilling and satisfying cohesive story.
Illustration by Louisa Taylor