Religion, Monopoly, and Radiohead Walk Into a Room
What better way to spend your small-town Sunday night than to watch A24's newest psychological thriller Heretic. Written and directed by Scott Beck and Brian Woods, we are introduced to a mind-bending theological framework presented by a one Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) that was prompted by the entrance of two Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, respectively). 99% of the time that I sit down to watch a psychological thriller, I expect the expected. Heretic is the 1% exception.
A still of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher), and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) from Heretic (2024).
On a stormy day, we see Sisters Barnes and Paxton making house calls as part of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints, also known as the Mormon church. The last stop of the night was Mr. Reed's quiet cottage. With Sister Paxton excited to spread the word of God and Sister Barnes quietly analyzing the last stop on their tour, we meet an ever-gracious Mr. Reed who is ready to hear what the girls have to say. It is through an intricate series of inquiries, traps, revelations, and symbols that we find ourselves at the center of the pressing question: what is the one true religion?
Something we are very used to as a society is the portrayal of Christianity in the horror genre, but its other religious counterparts such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc. are not explored in mainstream horror. Let alone psychological horror. The mere mention of religious themes in film can be considered very provocative and gutsy, but it's what masterminds Scott Beck and Brian Woods wielded in their favor. This film didn't result in Satanism or rely on any supernatural edge to scare its audience. It utilized the twisted, sinister nature of the human mind. The capability of the human mind stretched thin is scarier than any ghoul, goblin, or ghost. All while being a dialogue and symbol-heavy film, the similes concerning religion and monopoly, commentary on Lana Del Rey's "Get Free" and Radiohead's "Creep", and the historical aspect of faith really stood out to me.
The goal of the film is to make you second guess everything you've ever known or have been presented with. It does exactly that until the very end. To me, that is a film well done. Portraying your message and holding your ground right up until the finale and even past it. After I watched the film I will say I was guilty of a Reddit search about what the ending meant. Following much scrolling, the ending is what you make of it. This left me with the thought, "Do you believe what you see or do you see what you believe?" At the end of it all, the choice is ours. Every choice we make in life is rooted in some sort of belief that we hold in a higher power or another entity, something that has this control (good or bad) over our being. This is exactly what Heretic engrains in us.
