Less cunning than he would like to believe, Heresy slides towards horror by numbers, favoring shock effects, dubious twists and improbable machinations…
From the outset, the idea of casting the illustrious Hugh Grant in the role of a psychopath obsessed with the relationship that human beings have with spirituality and its many contradictory doctrines was already an excellent selling point.
Heresy (French version ofHeretic) opens with an even more meaningful discussion about pornography and sexuality between sisters Barnes and Paxton (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, respectively), two missionaries of the Mormon Church.
Filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods then skillfully position their duo between teachings and laws belonging to the past and a present time free from all taboos.
Then the two young women knock on the door of Mr. Reed (Grant), who invites them into his humble abode with all the hospitality in the world, but not to discover how religion could potentially save his soul, but rather to challenge their beliefs.
After a while, the duo realizes what kind of individual they are dealing with, and that they will not be able to leave the latter's home as easily as they might have thought, even if the host continues to assert the opposite.
The first hour ofHeresy is excellent in every way, driven by everyone involved, both in front of and behind the camera. The fact that the two directors manage to create so much tension and discomfort around a living room discussion as verbose as it is pointed about faith is already a miracle.
While Hugh Grant proves particularly effective in the skin of this man who is as kind as he is courteous (but nevertheless intimidating), the subdued lighting, the incongruous frames and the camera movements that are just disconcerting enough make us perfectly feel the discomfort of the two guests.
Once again, the idea of offending proves more powerful than fear itself.
All of this brings us to a fateful moment where the owner of the place delivers a nice presentation comparing the main religions to different versions of the game Monopoly, and the same melody covered by different artists throughout time. Then dear Mr. Reed gives the two women the opportunity to reiterate or deny their faith by choosing a door that could – or not – lead them to the exit.
It is unfortunately from this moment that the two filmmakers at the helm completely escape it, revealing themselves incapable of bringing their discourse on such delicate issues to a satisfactory conclusion, or even the slightest bit insightful and articulate.
Seeming at first to be able to establish itself as another nice surprise in horror cinema in this particularly auspicious year in this area, Heresy takes the field without warning during a final act that is far too mechanical.
Less cunning than he would like to believe, Heresy slides towards horror by numbers, favoring shock effects, dubious twists and improbable machinations, themselves desperately seeking a way out for a scenario revolving around the illusion of choice.
Too bad, because the staging loses none of its intensity or its propensity to play with the spectator's expectations and perception. In this regard, Hugh Grant visibly had a lot of fun in this counter-productive role, as did his two playing partners, who were equally effective.
In the end, Heresy astounds as much as it disappoints, leaving too much substantial material on the table in favor of stunning effects whose sole purpose seems to be to divert the conversation.
