Heretic

"Question everything."

2024 1h 51m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

89%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 2,940🍅89%Rotten Tomatoes●71Metacritic★7IMDB · 194,544

ThrillerHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

“Question everything.”

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Cast

Hugh Grant
Mr. Reed
Sophie Thatcher
Sister Barnes
Chloe East
Sister Paxton
Topher Grace
Elder Kennedy
Elle Young
Prophet
Julie Lynn-Mortensen
Pedestrian
Haylie Hansen
Teenager
Elle McKinnon
Teenager

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Scott Beck
Writers: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Scott Beck, shot by Chung Chung-hoon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Chris Bacon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Justin Li shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Hugh Grant and Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Question everything.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt28015403 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Scott Beck directs. Chung Chung-hoon behind the camera. Chris Bacon scores. Justin Li cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 5.2× over at the box office.
2Released 2 years ago.
3Directed by Scott Beck, shot by Chung Chung-hoon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Chris Bacon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Justin Li shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Hugh Grant and Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Question everything.".
8IMDB entry: tt28015403 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 13 themes, including "faith", "control", "sociopath", "religion".

The technical file

Cinematography: Chung Chung-hoon
Original score: Chris Bacon
Editing: Justin Li
Production design: Philip Messina
Costume design: Betsy Heimann
Makeup / hair: Monica Huppert
VFX supervisor: Chris Van Dyck
Sound: Michael Babcock
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $51,913,394
Return: 519% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Heretic (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 71/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 194,544 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award4 wins & 38 nominations total

Also by

Scott Beck

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-11-03
★ 7/10
I suppose that many of us have had the god-squad on the doorstep trying to peddle their philosophising but I doubt many are quite as prepared, or as tempting, as the butter-wouldn't-melt "Reed" (Hugh Grant) when the enthusiastic sisters "Barnes" (Sophie Thatcher) and "Paxton" (Chloe East) arrive at his door. Promises of a meeting with his wife and some blueberry pie lure them in and soon they are having a meaningful debate that rather puts the girls on edge. That anxiety only gets worse as there's no sign of the wife and the scented candle proves to have a most unusual, and illuminating, aroma. They conclude that getting out of his home is the best plan, but that isn't going to be straightforward. He has other plans, and they are going to have to play a game of belief/disbelief if they are to have any hope of getting back to their church. The horror aspects of this are not especially interesting - it's a sort of competent hybrid of "Escape Room" meets "Cluedo". What helps this stand out a bit more is a subtly menacing effort from Grant and the standard of the writing. The conversation between the three for the first half of the film is quite thought provoking in itself. It asks questions that are truly valid and worthy of consideration amongst those of or without organised faith. The assertions around "iterations", burgers and games of "Monopoly" also raise a few solid questions about carts and horses that I rather appreciated as we are invited to question or evaluate the whole scope of monotheistic religions and their role in our lives. The two women gel well together here too, realising that they are in some sort of peril - both intellectual and physical, and that latter threat is well demonstrated by some creepy settings and creatively used audio. I didn't love the conclusion - I actually found it really quite disappointing, as if Scott Beck had just run out of ideas or didn't quite have the courage of his earlier convictions, but this is the most substantial part I've seen Grant play in a while and he holds it together well. Not your typical psychological drama and worth a watch, I'd say.
griggs792024-11-04
★ 7/10
This is a gruesome, bizarre, preposterous, and utterly watchable film. It is a twisted cocktail made surprisingly digestible thanks to Grant's impeccably dapper portrayal of pure malevolence. His performance brings a sinister charm that tempers the madness, making the film's more outlandish horrors feel almost refined.
garethmb2024-11-04
In the new film “Heretic”, two missionaries named Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) spend their days in fellowship and looking to bring new members into their faith. Sister Paxton is the more sheltered of the two as Sister Barnes comes from the East Coast and joined the church through conversion and appears much wiser in the ways of the world to her colleague. Eager to get her first new member for Sister Paxton; the two venture to visit Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who had earlier expressed interest in their church and as such; made his way onto the contact list for the girls. A storm arrives at the same time the girls do but unable to enter the home of Mr. Reed without a female being present; they are assured that his wife is baking in the kitchen and accept his offer to come in out of the weather. They find Mr. Reed charming and very well-versed in theology as he says that he has been studying religions for over a decade and his knowledge is very impressive to the girls yet his questions, answers, and tone start to become disturbing to the girls as does the absence of his wife whom he claims is just in the other room. Looking for a chance to leave, the girls discover that they are locked in and the house has a metal overlay that blocks their cell signals. Further complicating matters is the increasingly odd behavior of Mr. Reed who insists that they are free to leave at any time yet confronts them with all manner of theological questions, theories, and challenges at every turn. What follows is a chilling exercise in faith for the girls in a gripping film that keeps you guessing all along. The cast is solid and Grant is very good playing against type. This is not the usual psycho slasher that audiences often see in films of this type but a deep psychological game of terror and manipulation as he believes that he is helping the girls see the truth amongst all the dogma. The film does play a bit to Hollywood for my taste in the final act as certain revelations and outcomes went away from the clever premise that had been established in favor of more traditional situations, but the vast majority of the film was chilling, engaging, and captivating and was powered by strong performances all around. Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods who also wrote the film; are no strangers to Horror and Suspense as their resumes are filled with some very tense films and have crafted a film that works as an intense thriller. 4 stars out of 5