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Heretic Review: One of the Best Horror Movies of 2024 Coming Right After Halloween

Harry November 6, 2024

Curiosity is a strong component of watching Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. infidel. You quickly fall in love with the lead pair, and once you realize what kind of movie you’re watching, you’re worried about what’s going to happen. It becomes even more intriguing with the introduction of a mysterious enemy that constantly makes you question what is real and what is fiction. The heroes are drawn deeper into the villain’s evil plan, and you wonder with fear what the next level will offer. And finally, with its mysterious ending, the film makes you think about its themes and make your own interpretations.

infidel

The two stars of Heretic. — (Image credit: A24)

Publication date: November 8, 2024
Governing: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Written by: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Cast: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East
Evaluation: R for some bloody violence
Working time: 110 minutes

It constantly finds new ways to fascinate and frighten in its 110-minute runtime, and it does so with just three main characters and a single (albeit complex) setting.

A minimalist feature like this requires a sharp, smart script and actors who can effectively captivate and carry the full weight of the story. infidel shines with both. The clever, meta story structure is complemented by smart, incisive and well-researched commentary on the long and extensive history of organized religion and the stars. Hugh GrantSophie Thatcher and Chloe East each bring unique energies that really raise the temperature of the film.

Thatcher and East respectively play Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, two missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Colorado, where they plan to end their days of proselytizing by visiting the home of a man named Mr. Reed (Grant). As the rain begins to fall and Mr. Reed promises to reassure his wife that she is in the kitchen baking a blueberry pie, the young women enter the house and make preparations for Mormonism.

Once the conversation begins, Barnes and Paxton are surprised and impressed by their host’s intellectual insights about religion and the depth of his education on the subject. But when Mr. Reed’s wife never shows up again, the circumstances become increasingly spooky as it is revealed that the blueberry pie scent is coming from a scented candle, and it is learned that the front door has a lock with a timer – requiring someone to leave. house from behind. The missionaries try to keep their cool, but it becomes clearer day by day that they have fallen into a complex trap designed to test their faith.

Heretic has a sharp and frightening script that offers impressive perspectives on organized religion.

There are some deviations from this main story; Topher Grace plays a church elder who notices Barnes and Paxton haven’t registered and begins to retrace their steps, but infidel First, it gets you stuck with the heroes in Mr. Reed’s household, and it’s riveting in its masterful escalation (there’s a natural, effective correlation between the young women literally descending into the puzzle and the tension building in the atmosphere). Sympathetic fear is an important part of the equation; It becomes increasingly clear that Barnes and Paxton are in real trouble, but his more important achievement is his rhetoric and argument.

Mr. Reed’s evil can never be questioned, but he fits neatly into the cinematic history of intellectual psychopaths who weaponize their intellect to emotionally break their targets, and he makes some arguably insightful points, from comparing and paralleling missionary work to marketing. between the common roots of popular religions and the melodic connection between The Hollies’ “The Air That I Breathe,” Radiohead’s “Creep” and Lana Del Ray’s “Get Free.” He successfully earns the audience’s respect by improving his education and logic, and you are left with a horrified/morbid curiosity to find out what his end game is and the ultimate “truth” he has learned throughout his studies.

infidel But it’s not just a scary lesson, and Barnes and Paxton aren’t hostages without agency. It’s easy to imagine thick, ignorant accusations that this is the case, but the movie isn’t an attempt to disparage the Mormon Church or organized religion in general; It stimulates a conversation about personal belief and the place of faith-based institutions in our society. The heroes are not blind followers who allow their beliefs to crumble based on Mr. Reed’s oratory, as part of their struggle for freedom challenges his emerging thesis and the evidence presented.

Hugh Grant is a charming creep in Heretic, and Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East are fantastic.

Philip Messina’s outstanding production design makes Mr. Reed’s home an extremely intimidating environment, and Chung-hoon Chung’s excellent cinematography entraps the viewer alongside the lead characters, but infidel‘s intimate scope also means that the performances are crucial to conveying the film’s intent, and the production team chose three actors perfectly suited to the task. The film fails entirely as an exercise in horror without instilling empathetic dread in Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, but Sophie Thatcher (who quickly establishes herself as a tremendous talent in the genre) and Chloe East impress with both their poignancy and grit as the story progresses. .

As excellent as his peers are, Hugh Grant is the standout star in this field. infidelBecause his performance is what makes the movie so remarkable. Audiences have spent decades appreciating his distinctive British charm in comedies and romantic dramas, and that familiar politeness proves effective as he lures Mr. Reed, Barnes and Paxton into his home — but Grant then goes on to cash in on his emotional goodwill for a spooky movie. Return as the character’s true intentions are revealed. Does not display dangerous anger or pose a physical threat; His danger, his status as a charismatic guide who leads young women into his labyrinth, and his well-known pleasant grin become chilling.

broadcast window for infidel It’s a bit odd that it’s coming to theaters just a week after Halloween, but it’s a worthwhile effort to extend the spooky season. It’s a film with an intelligent, insightful vision, a taut and exciting script, a trio of outstanding performances, and a captivating ending that lives in your mind well beyond the end credits; This makes it one of the best horror movies of the year.

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Pasteleria-edelweiss

Heretic Review: One of the Best Horror Movies of 2024 Coming Right After Halloween

Harry

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Heretic Review: One of the Best Horror Movies of 2024 Coming Right After Halloween

Harry

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