Heretic
Heretic
A diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) ensnares two young missionaries in his terrifying game of cat-and-mouse when they knock on the wrong door and are forced to prove their faith.
Desmond Dale reviewedJanuary 24, 2025
As a Catholic school attendee from elementary through college, I picked up an affinity for theology and then later religious criticism and atheist favoring philosophies. I'm also obsessed with the intersect of classism, racism and religious bigotry. It consumes my own writing as a sort conscious crutch. Anyway I say this all to say that I felt particularly interested in the premise of Heretic and of the core mindset of its central antagonist.
The realization that Heretic is yet another entry into the modern fad of game thrillers/horror was initially disappointing. However, I couldn't help but be impressed by its meticulous pacing and often poignant dialogue. And the game that its players find themselves stuck engaged in is merely sort of synedoche for the playbook utilized by most organized religions. I also thought it had a beautiful yet ultimately marred ending. Furthermore, I really wish the writer found an alternative route to his or her climax that avoided flattening its central antagonist in the process.