Before diving in, I want to say this: I love movies. I especially love it when a film is thought-provoking, so hear me out. Storytelling has been a part of human culture since the dawn of verbal communication. Stories were passed down orally and then written down when humans learned to read and write. Eventually, we developed literature and live theater. Compared to the grand scheme of history, film, TV, and radio are relatively recent innovations. Today, there are countless ways to tell stories, but originally, storytelling always served a purpose.
In grade school, we learned that writing exists to educate, entertain, or persuade (and maybe something else I’m forgetting). With that in mind, stories—especially movies—are at their best when they make profound points about life, human nature, and religion. Heretic is no exception.
I’ll try to organize my thoughts as best as I can. Let’s start by saying this movie had its highs and lows, but overall, it was fantastic. There were funny bits that I appreciated, thanks to the Letterboxd reviews I read beforehand. They prepared me for some of the humor, which helped me enjoy those moments even more.
While Heretic is technically a horror movie, it’s not a traditional horror full of body horror or jump scares. Instead, the real horror lies in the existential questions it raises—questions about belief, doubt, and religion that I’ll be thinking about for days (I dreamt about the movie after seeing it.) The real terror isn’t the gore; it’s the unsettling idea that none of us truly knows what religion, if any, is the “right” one.
What sets Heretic apart from other religious horror movies is that the horror doesn’t come from holy interventions or exorcisms but rather from the absence of concrete knowledge about religion itself. That absence—our inability to know—is what’s truly horrifying.
To be honest, Mr. Reed’s character’s points about religion were incredibly thought-provoking. I’ve always considered the idea that the three major world religions are just variations of one another. His Monopoly analogy, along with the comparison to songs, was brilliant. I never would’ve thought to compare religion to board games, let alone Monopoly, but the way he explained it was genius. I’m sure some people didn’t like those comparisons, and that’s fine—everyone is entitled to their opinion. I feel like that’s one of the themes of the movie: people ultimately choose their “flavor” of religion, and that’s okay.
Mr. Reed is the kind of person I’d love to sit down with for a deep conversation. A lot of Letterboxd reviewers described him as their worst nightmare, but I found him fascinating.
Speaking of songs, the way Heretic uses music—even when the songs are just mentioned rather than played—is genius. For instance, “The Air That I Breathe” repeats the line, “All I need is the air that I breathe and to love you,” which ties into the themes of control and dependence on religion. This is especially relevant when Hugh Grant’s character talks about how easy it is to control someone who has nothing. “Creep” is another great choice, and its lyrics speak for themselves in the context of the film. My favorite, though, was the mention of Lana Del Rey’s “Get Free.” First of all, I love Lana Del Rey. Second, the lyrics perfectly complement the film. Lines like “Finally, I’m crossing the threshold from the ordinary world to the reveal of my heart” mirror the characters’ journey of choosing between belief and disbelief to escape Mr. Reed’s house. Later in the song, the lyrics “I never really noticed that I had to decide to play someone’s game or live my own life” resonate deeply with the movie’s exploration of control and personal belief.
One of the film’s most compelling points comes toward the end when Sister Paxton realizes Mr. Reed wasn’t pushing her toward belief in a specific religion but toward understanding that control itself was the real “religion.” This hit close to home for me. For context, I grew up with a strong faith and even went through a phase where I wanted to be a pastor. But in college—what feels like a lifetime ago—something happened, and I lost my faith for about a year and a half. During that time, I stopped going to church and didn’t care to read the Bible. It wasn’t until I started working as a church secretary after college that I found my way back to my faith.
Looking back, I believe losing my faith was necessary for me to truly believe. It’s one thing to inherit beliefs from your upbringing; it’s another to question everything, strip it down, and choose to believe for yourself. The movie made this point brilliantly—most people are spoon-fed religion, and that’s where the control comes in.
Another great point the movie made is that all religions are variations of the same fundamental ideas. I’ve always believed that. I believe in God, but I also believe it’s okay if others don’t; I think God still loves everyone. I have other views that don’t always fit neatly into mainstream Christianity, such as the acceptance of gay people and the idea that women can be pastors. And that’s okay. At the end of the day, I think what matters most is love—loving each other and caring for one another.
One of my favorite lines in the movie is when Sister Paxton says that praying might not work, but it’s beautiful that people care enough to pray for one another. That sentiment stuck with me.
The final scene was stunning. When she escapes and sees the butterfly on her hand, just as she mentioned earlier, and it suddenly fades away—I interpreted that as her passing away. The snowy landscape seemed to represent her afterlife.
On a tangent (but it’s my blog, so I can do that): I believe in an afterlife, and I think there’s evidence to support it. I believe everyone goes to heaven. If you don’t agree, that’s okay. The beauty of humanity is that we all get to believe what we want.
Overall, Heretic wasn’t the best horror movie I’ve seen, but it was one of the most thought-provoking. 2024 has been a great year for horror so far. My favorite Letterboxd review described it perfectly:
“My goodness, A24, do y’all ever miss?? Heretic crafts an extremely powerful narrative that not only challenges the concept of religion but also suggests that belief is strongest not when it’s easy, but when it’s tested in the most visceral ways. Hugh Grant, alongside Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, are all superb in their roles. Grant, in particular, leads the story by embodying a character of pure skepticism. His critiques of belief eventually force the characters to confront doubts they may have never questioned. The film excels in using these doubts to build tension, exploring whether faith can truly transcend doubt.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
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