Spoiler warning: This review contains spoilers for “Heretic.”

This year, I’ve finally accepted that recent horror films drastically underestimate the intelligence of their audience. “Longlegs” left no ambiguity with its explanatory third act. “MaXXXine” guided the audience to the killer reveal so mildly that there was no room for any shock. One could even argue that the more accoladed “The Substance” spoon-fed its content to ensure the audience grasped the themes of sexism in Hollywood. While A24’s newest horror flick, “Heretic,” delivers enticing themes and hauntingly eerie set design, it similarly falls short with its script and delivery.

The film follows two Mormon girls, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), canvassing the town to spread their faith. Their journey takes them to the comically conniving Mr. Reed’s (Hugh Grant) house, and the pair soon realize that his interest in the Mormon faith is a facade. The two girls get trapped in the dark basement of Mr. Reed’s house, all while questioning their faith as the man insists that religion is nothing but iterations of past stories. After a number of near-death experiences, the film concludes with Sister Paxton emerging as the sole survivor of the lead trio, ultimately reaffirming her faith despite being faced with doubt.

Although the film’s vision is compelling, much of the dialogue felt forced as characters provided lengthy explanations for every hidden metaphor and mystery. In the middle of the film, Mr. Reed spends well over a minute explaining his analogy about monotheistic religions and board games, although the sentiment could’ve been understood with a few lines. The same issue occurs when characters verbally reiterate previous plot points to inform the audience of the sneaky clues they missed. In most cases, if you were even halfway paying attention, you would have caught them without needing additional clarification.

Multiple plot points are constantly referred to throughout the film. A lengthy monologue in the film’s third act has Sister Paxton explain verbatim what she believed Mr. Reed’s evil intentions to be, tied in with a classic flashback montage of events that happened previously as if the audience didn’t remember. The real lack of faith in this film is the directors’ disbelief in their own audience’s intelligence — the dragging two-hour runtime could’ve easily been shortened if such unnecessary explanations were omitted. 

While much of the script was mediocre at best, other aspects of the film proved refreshing. The premise of “Heretic” focuses on a gripping moral dilemma, exploring the root of religion and how we choose to believe in certain faiths. That is where the central point succeeds. Mr. Reed eventually proclaims that the only real religion is control — a notion proven wrong as he is ultimately killed by Sister Paxton — yet still remains an intriguing introspection nonetheless.

The film also passes the difficult test of tasteful modernity, incorporating references to Lana Del Rey and Star Wars that felt fun rather than forced. Hugh Grant even sings a snippet of Radiohead’s “Creep,” effectively cracking up the audience at the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

“Heretic” proves to be an exciting addition to the 2024 religious horror saga. However, like its predecessors, it stumbles with a tendency to tell instead of show, losing some of the chilling nuances within its superfluous narrative.

Contact Amelia Knust at [email protected].