phancy.com - horror reviews - MOH 2025

Heretic



IMDb Info

Release Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 51m
Country: USA ,Canada
Language: English
Genre Tags: Horror, Thriller
Plot Summary: Two young religious women are drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse in the house of a strange man.

Poster - Title Card


phancy.com rating:

phancy.com notes: So good! Hugh Grant weaponizes his befuddled English charm and is absolutely menacing without having to lift a finger. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East are not slouches either. This is a smart script, and an excellent cast. Most of this movie is just the three of them talking to each other, yet it remains tense the entire time. I found myself predicting all the moves in the first act, which is probably exactly what the movie wanted me to do, before it switches gears. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's a nice trick of writing that lets you feel superior before making you question yourself, which is right theme: What's scarier than realizing your all beliefs are arbirtary?


Outside Reviews:

Brian Tallerico
3 out of 4 stars - rogerebert.com

The true horror of "Heretic" doesn't come through violent action as much as what Reed's elaborate plans say about the human condition. Why do we believe what we believe? Is it just because we've been told to do so? Or is there something beyond the many books that Reed claims to have read? "Heretic" is a horror movie about some of the most soul-rattling ideas in history, including not just that there's nothing after death but that everything we've built our lives on has been a lie. And yet, it's not a film that's as anti-religious as that sounds. It leaves some of its biggest questions for you to answer. If you're courageous enough to do so.


Matthew Jackson
Grade: B+ - The terrifically tense Heretic will make you believe in the power of Hugh Grant

Where Heretic might lose some people is exactly where this twisted little discussion of faith is headed. The divisive turns it dares to take will leave some exhilarated and others frustrated. They are also part of the film's appeal and, more importantly, representative of the clarity of storytelling at work. Heretic‘s conclusions are there from the very beginning, not predictable or boring, but careful and elegant. It's the smartest script Beck and Woods have generated yet, regardless of how the third act may initially land. Divisiveness aside, and despite a few stumbles in pacing as it pivots from cool premise to interesting conclusion, Heretic is a wonderfully effective, chilling thriller from two of the best genre storytellers currently in the game.