From the moment I got my ticket to see Heretic, I thought I’d be seeing yet another simple yet boring religious horror film. I was wrong. Dead Wrong.
This movie was an exciting thrill ride fit for only those how are prepared to hear controversial takes on religion such as hypocrisies, heresies, Docetism along with other nightmares that would terrify even those with strong stomachs and minds. Heretic is a movie that explores the many faces of religion such as its positives and negatives by using objects familiar to the average person such as board games, restaurants and beverages. As I watched this movie I became very invested withing the very first half hour as religion became the central theme through the entire 111 minute length time.
In terms of how well it looks graphically, it’s a very finely made piece of art which gave off the feeling that I was viewing a painting in high definition. There was an instance towards the middle of the movie where the scenery was so dark I couldn’t view what was going on, which did throw me off considering the movie had a $10 million dollar budget. Outside of this minor complaint, everything else in the movie was well made such as the interior of the house and the dungeon-like basement.
The story follows two missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, trying to finish up their mission. Their last stop is at a quaint little house owned by the eccentric yet off putting man whose intelligence of religion, music and deception end up proving deadly for the pair as they soon find themselves trapped in a labyrinth of hell based off of John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost. In a nightmare version of cat and mouse, both sisters must find a way out or be caught in the eyes of the horrific miracle awaiting them.
Imagery for a movie such as this is quite strange as many religious objects prove to be the main images present in the movie such as holy texts like The Quran, Holy Bible and Torah as well as tongue in cheek references to much older religious horror films such as The Omen and The Exorcist.
To me, I can confidently say this is one of the best religious horror films I’ve seen since 2023’s Nefarious which was also somewhat of a critique about religion but specifically Christianity. As a kid and as an adult, I love films that provide a deep insight to the world of religion, or have some sort of religious aspect involved such as The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist, The Omen, Mark of the Devil or The Wicker Man. I was amazed at how much religion I recognized in the film and praised the dissection of Judaism, Christianity and Islam to make it more digestible for those who scratch their heads at how it all works.
Departing the theater I took a walk by St. Luke’s Episcopal Church located nearby. As I looked up, I smiled and then contemplated what I originally perceived as boring, and now see that for future movies like this I must keep an open mind and an eager soul.
