You gotta try the blueberry pie.

Two Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), arrive at the reclusive home of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), prepared to answer his questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After hearing Mrs. Reed is in the kitchen baking a pie, the LDS missionaries accept an invitation inside, taking cover from the severe storm blowing in. Mr. Reed proves to be a gracious and friendly host, serving drinks and asking simple enough questions… until the conversation takes on a slightly sinister yet thought-provoking direction. The man seems less interested in religious texts than he is in those who believe them, and more to the point, why they personally have faith. As the more worldly Sister Barnes becomes uncomfortably aware of Mr. Reed’s subtle manipulations, she fears innocent Sister Paxton and herself are in true danger… and she’s exactly correct.

Co-written and co-directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods — both also co-wrote A Quiet Place with John Krasinski — already have a pedigree for genre horror work. A quaint older Englishman in his golden years exploring his options to get into Heaven sounds ripe for church recruitment… in the same way two chaste young women dressed in conservative clothes presumably raised in the church seem vulnerable to manipulation. The impending conversations debating faith vs. religion needed to sound as real as possible, and it’s clear the research was done to create believable arguments between these characters enhanced by a production that puts audiences into their headspace. Small cast, small set, and a small budget promotes huge ideas to question everything, but will it be too late for our protagonists to understand the rules are there for a reason?

Forget about rom-com Hugh Grant, as it’s clear he missed his calling in delicious villainy… and not just cheesy untrustworthy rogues like in Dungeons & Dragon: Honor Among Thieves; this kind of role leans toward Robin Williams in One Hour Photo territory. Grant plays the embodiment of “smart evil,” a master manipulator justifiably confident enough to share space inside his own trap, close enough to see his victims unravel in their fear to act. Fun fact: Mr. Reed is cause for what the LDS calls “advanced witnessing,” left to senior missionaries like Elder Kennedy (Topher Grace) who’ve been trained on the ins and outs of scripture “gotchas from grouches.” The baited religious truths are calculated to shake one’s faith to its core, but it doesn’t inform our antagonist’s end game; does he want to create a spiritual awakening in two misinformed youths, convince them willingly join a cult of his so-called truth, or is he a twisted manipulator who enjoys elaborate scenarios to savor the kill? The script keeps even avid psychological horror and true crime fanatics guessing in that unique A24 kind of way.

Heretic feels designed to make you squirm. Not all viewers may be familiar with subject matter or the implications, but stacking world religions against personal faith in a lifetime the ends the same for everyone? That’s some scary existential stuff no matter one’s age or lifestyle, especially caught in a trap where every decision brings one closer to finding out firsthand what comes after (insert mandatory sinister laugh here). Grant devours the scenery as he teeters between schoolmaster and taskmaster, but Thatcher and East step up to match his energy and presence as their game of cat and mouse turns into chess moves, and the script brilliantly twists in all the best ways. Similar films tease manipulators like Mr. Reed before hiding the name actors playing those parts, but Grant’s grandstanding and monologuing is a constant delight until the final curtain is pulled back. The script gleefully plays with multiple notions in this genre the way M. Night Shyamalan teased out The Visit, settling for a relatively simple explanation while cattle-prodding viewers with outlandish possibility.

As a side note, it’s an interesting choice by the filmmakers to add “No Generative Al was used in the making of this film” to the end credits, possibly due to the controversy surrounding the otherwise excellent Late Night with the Devil for failing to mention its use earlier this year. Fortunately, this movie relies on good ol’ camera tricks, practical effects, clever sets, and great storytelling… because AI doesn’t worry about where it’s headed after death.

Heretic is rated R for some bloody violence and butterflies that aren’t in your stomach.

Four skull recommendation out of four