17/13
Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East in Heretic, plus more modern women murder the horror game
Synopsis
Two young, religious women are drawn into a game of cat and mouse in a strange man’s house. The music at the end is a variation of "Knocking of Heavens Door" and "Fade into You" by Mazzy Star. A nod to the fact that "Creep" by Radiohead is a reprise (for the melody) of "The Air That I Breathe" by The Hollies, which Grant mentioned earlier in the film.
Reference to The Weekly Rogues' Gallery: Episode 136 (2024)
The end result states that Generative Al was not used in the making of the film. There will undoubtedly be those who saw the trailer for Heretic and thought, "People are being held against their will? I’ve seen this a hundred times," but that’s just the thin wrapping paper covering this complex puzzle box.
Huge credit to the writers who played such a big part in making this film so refreshing
It’s rare that characters who could easily be two-dimensional feel so human in a premise like this. From the missionaries’ shared conversation to the intricate details the viewer might have thought were overlooked, everything is so well chosen. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East are excellent in their roles, as friends who may not have forged a relationship at all outside of their faith, their cynicism and naivety both coming to fruition.
He’s so disarming and so
It’s no surprise that Hugh Grant steals the show with his rational, brilliant performance. Hugh Grant that you can’t help but smile at times, even when things take a turn for the worse, showing how everyday monsters use their charm to create horror. It’s also a nice change to actually feel tense and concerned for the characters, rather than expecting jump scares.