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The 2024 horror film Heretic<\/strong><\/em> is cerebral, voluble and, dare I say it, a little boring. I kind of dozed off in the middle of it and had to rewatch it to catch what important things I\u2019d missed. Somewhat amazingly Rotten Tomatoes dot com, gave this a staggering 91 percent. Perhaps there is another film titled Heretic <\/strong><\/em>and I should have watched that. <\/p>\n Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes are on their mission to spread the word of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, AKA; Mormons. They meet their last appointment of the day; Mr Reed. He invites the two scrubbed faces into his home. It is raining heavily and snow is starting to mix in. <\/p>\n Like the wicked witch in Hansel and Gretel<\/a>, Reed, in Heretic<\/strong><\/em>, is more a wolf in grandma\u2019s clothing here and the two young ladies are starting a pretty harrowing journey. One of good and evil.<\/p>\n And eventually, death.<\/p>\n Hugh Grant<\/a> is Mr Reed.<\/p>\n Sophie <\/a>Thatcher<\/a> is Sister Barnes.<\/p>\n Chloe East<\/a> is Sister Paxton.<\/p>\n Topher Grace<\/a> is Elder Kennedy.<\/p>\n Elle Young<\/a> is Prophet.<\/p>\n Heretic <\/em><\/strong>is written and directed by Scott Beck<\/a> and Bryan Woods<\/a>. The film, despite being overly talkative (which I suppose it needs to be) moves on toward an almost foregone ending. The script does, however, indulge the many coffee table discussions about religion that have taken place since the beginning of time.<\/p>\n DP Chung-hoon Chung<\/a> does a splendid job with the many challenging lighting scenarios. Justin Li <\/a>edits with skill and puts everything together well. VFX is spot on and the makeup, special and otherwise, is also impressive. <\/p>\n I have a number of issues with Heretic<\/em><\/strong>. The film works very well, in many ways. It segways into mystery at one point and things become a bit more interesting but the pacing lags. Mainly because of the dime store theology discussed in the film. <\/p>\n Essentially, everyone just talks too much. It feels like the religious discussion takes hours. <\/p>\n This discussion does help us understand everyone in Heretic<\/strong><\/em>. Sadly, however, any real surprises in the film are sabotaged by the film\u2019s trailers. We know going in that Hugh Grant\u2019s character is not a \u201cnice guy.\u201d<\/p>\n It kind of lets the air out chaps.<\/p>\n Lastly, the final \u201ccat out of the bag\u201d moment takes far too long to be completely satisfying. At almost two hours, Heretic<\/strong><\/em> could have used some more \u201ccutting room floor\u201d editing.<\/p>\n Kudos to Topher Grace as Elder Kennedy. I actually had no idea it was Grace in the role until credits rolled. He disappeared into that character as effortlessly as the invisible man. Well done mate. <\/p>\n Grant manages to hit all the right notes as he rings the scales while playing a part within a part. <\/p>\n My new favorite is Sophie East. She manages to make that transition from young Mormon to Agatha Christie\u2019s Jane Marple seem pretty believable. (Or Jessica Fletcher if you prefer.) Both young women knocked their respective parts out of the metaphorical park. <\/p>\n All I\u2019m saying is: The performances<\/em> were spot on, but Heretic<\/strong><\/em> the film left me feeling cold. (And bored in places.)<\/p>\n Heretic<\/em><\/strong> earns no where near the lofty scores from others. I have given the film a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It almost lost one half of a star because of its rather sophomoric approach to religion in general. Heretic<\/strong><\/em> is streaming on Max right now.<\/p>\n \nthe Story<\/h4>\n
The Cast<\/h4>\n
behind the camera<\/h4>\n
issues<\/h4>\n
Things that work<\/h4>\n
The Verdict<\/h4>\n
the trailer<\/h4>\n