By Taylor James Staff Writer
“ Heretic” from A24 is a psychological thriller about questioning beliefs.
The movie was released to theaters on Nov. 8 nationwide and has received mixed reviews. Rotten tomatoes, which ranks movie films, has given the film a 92 percent rating, but the audience rates the movie only a 3.6/5. The movie itself is done in a great manner that is worth a watch for any fan of psychological thrillers.
Heretic falls under the horror genre, but it’s much more psychological in its approach. The big question the film asks the watchers, people seem to think they know the truth, but do they really? The film is a conversation about religion and will leave audiences questioning their own beliefs.
The basic premise of the movie is that two Latter Day Saint missionaries, Sister Barnes, played by Sophie Thatcher, and Sister Paxton, played by Chloe East, are kidnapped by Mr. Reed, played by Hugh Grant. Thatcher and East are former members of the Latter-Day Saint church and so the casting got it right, with the director’s vision of the plot. Hugh Grant has an incredible performance, but to avoid spoilers go watch the movie.
The music in the movie complimented many of the scenes and would give many audience members goosebumps. The twists within Heretic are very well crafted and off-putting at some points. Off-putting is okay within this context because the goal of the director is to scare because of it being a horror movie. A big theme of the movie is talking about materials being taken from the original and then adding a different twist onto it.
Many music artists have taken other versions of songs and then used it to their own benefit. The new artist will cover or use the original version of a song and put their own twist onto this, but this is nothing new. People will take an original idea and try to make it original, but it’s something that’s been done already and then they will put their own spin on it. This is why people can find loopholes within copyright.
The film deals with aspects of different beliefs and also different science experiments. Heretic in a gross simplification, is a debate about theology gone too far. Most of the setting of the film takes place within the house of Mr. Reed. This house is a key element of the film and people who go out and watch the film will understand this, once they reflect on what they’ve just witnessed.
Heretic is a movie full of twists, turns, a well-done screenplay, amazing cinematography, and great acting. This religious psychological thriller is worth a watch for a fan of horror. This movie isn’t for a first-time horror movie watcher, it’s definitely meant for people who are seasoned within the psychological thriller genre. Overall, the movie is well worth a watch for anyone interested in seeing this movie, if they’ve seen the trailers, go out and enjoy it. It’s a fun ride full of debate and unexpected plot twists.
ECC Cornerstone 