It has not escaped me that I have no idea how a horror movie afficionado would respond to The Heretic, an atmospheric film that seems to me, as no fan at all, genre-typical. Written and directed by a tag team of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the movie wove quite some magic on me for the first two thirds, moving ominously, creepily, replete with spooky sounds and excellent music. The cast is excellent. Hugh Grant excels as the owner of a remote house who invites in two young, unsuspecting Mormon women selling their message, but he is upstaged by tone-perfect Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East. With a precision script and brilliant direction, more than a half of the film grips and tantalizes. But for this viewer the finale third rapidly veers into grotesquerie and (at least for this non horror fan) indulgent horrors, before closing with a well executed climax. A mixed bag.
Book, movie/show, and album reviews
