Heretic

Year of release : 2024

 

Run time : 1h51m

 

Genre : Psychological Horror

 

Cast : Hugh Grant

 

 

Two girls from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, confident and yet introvert, sister Barnes and timid,yet extrovert,sister Paxton, are missionaries with a list of people who asked the church to pass by their house . Mr. Reed is the last one on their list.

Mister Reed's house looks very nice from the outside, it's very, I don't know if Arts & Crafts, but it almost looks like a fairy tale one.

 

When the girls get there, it starts to rain, and although sister Paxton is trying to convert him from the front door, he invites them in. The girls ask if he has a roommate, because they can't be alone with a man, and he says he has a wife.

 

Once inside, he offers to brings them something to drink and eat, and sister Paxton, who talks a lot, says people do serve them pies, and she loves pies.

 

Mr.Reed starts to ask them uncomfortable questions about their Mormon faith,like for example, what do they think of polygamy. While sister Paxton is against it, sister Barnes tells him this was done in the beginning, as at the time there were wars,men died and were too many women left behind,and the remaining men were trying to take care of them,which is not the case now. Mr. Reed doesn't think so, he thinks those were just evil people making others do their bidding.

Feeling threatened, the girls ask to see the wife who hasn't come out yet, so he goes to get her. Sister Barnes turns the candle over, and sees it's Blueberry Pie, what Mr,Reed said the wife is baking.

They also realize his name is Reed which sounds like Read.

They try to get out, but the door is locked, and it has no key nor key hole.

 

When Mr.Reed comes back, he tells them the door won't open until morning, and they can leave through the back of the house. Although at first afraid to do it, they do, and find him in a room which looks like the altar of a church,where they also find their coats. Sister Paxton finds the bicycle key sister Barnes put in her own coat,and they know he took their bikes.

 

Mr.Reed proceeds to tell them all religions are adaptations of another,like for example Christianity came from Judaism, and Islam came from both (but I say,from having studied the history of religion, only Christianity has the resurrection,while Judaism doesn't have Jesus, and in Islam he doesn't die,is replaced) , and how the resurrection and the birth from the virgin mother existed in the pagan religions before (which is another lie, in Horus' case, his mother,who was a magician goddess, created him through magic, and Isis was married to Osiris long before,so she was no virgin! Osiris did resurrect,but after his body was cut to 14 pieces,and scattered all over the earth. From what I remember about Buddha, he was born from royal parents, and became an ascetic. So,as you can see, they are not identical!)

Mr.Reed even speaks about the simulation, another sort of religion, in which people believe this reality of ours is not real,and we could be even living in The Matrix,as in, a computer programme.

 

Mr.Reed also tells them how even songs are versions of another, giving as example The Hollies song 'The air that I breathe' which sounds just like 'Creep' by Radiohead, who sued Lana del Rey for using samples of the same song in her song, 'Get Free'!

..and the Monopoly game was stolen from a feminist who created it in the 1800's,calling it the Landlord's Game or something. So,he comes to the conclusion everything that exists, was recreated over and over again,giving even examples from great thinkers' wise saws, put in movies, like Voltaire's 'With great power comes great responsibility'.

 

He gives the girls the possibility to choose between two doors to the outside, on which he writes Belief and Disbelief, but which,ultimately lead to the same place, the basement!

Sister Paxton wants to just please him and go along with whatever he says, so he'd let them out, but sister Barnes tells her it's useless as she thinks he studies them.

 

I personally enjoyed the movie, it makes you think of it, long after you watched it,and ask questions. I would have loved it though, if it had a happy ending,but this ending was good too.

SPOILERS I guess,ultimately, Mr.Reed just wanted the religious people to admit that prayer doesn't work or help, and that the true religion is Control. Although, it's revealed he is trying to control them too, and k1lls the one whom he can't control.

 

I would have liked to have seen Mr.Reed's origins, or at least to hear him speak about what happened to him to become who he was now, because to become this character, it means he had something awful happening to him, maybe someone he loved died, or someone did something to him,he believed in God, he prayed, and yet they died,or he was still hurt, and he snapped,and became not just an atheist, but a monster. It's like he realized nothing matters, there's no God, no afterlife,no punishment, and everything goes,so why try to be good?

He even has a poster of Dante's inferno in his home, which I'm guessing, it's how the house was built, and what probably gave him the idea about the house, which is like a trap or a labyrinth which takes you down to hell.

Pay attention to the details, because what they say- Mr.Reed asking them if they mind the metal in the ceiling and walls, sister Paxton talking about the butterfly, and when we see Mr.Reed at the beginning with the watering can,at the end you understand what was he doing with it, he wasn't watering the plants!

 

The movie was shot beautifully,the angles, the shadows..,and there's this winter storm outside which matches with the storm inside the house and the girls' minds and souls,who are kept prisoners.

 

The actors were excellent! The girls looked exactly how one would in such a situation,while Hugh Grant was charming, just like Lucifer! Topher Grace makes an appearance as elder Kennedy,looking for the girls.

 

The soundtrack was good.

 

The movie is out in cinemas,worldwide!

 

Rating : It's so money!