Heretic Parent Guide

Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it looks like they’ve found someone who’s interested in their message – a reclusive Englishman named Mr. Reed.

Although the missionaries aren’t supposed to enter a home without another woman present for safety reasons, Mr. Reed assures the young women that his wife is making pie in the kitchen and won’t be a minute. The conversation starts positively, as far as the missionaries are concerned, but Mr. Reed has some rather thorny questions about the history of the church and the atmosphere becomes tense. More worryingly, Sister Barnes has noticed that the lovely blueberry pie smell filling the house comes from a scented candle, and there’s still no sign of the alleged Mrs. Reed. Their host’s affable air remains, but the questions and the circumstances become much, much more sinister.

Despite the inherently sensitive nature of the theological and philosophical arguments in the film, the film treats the faith (or otherwise) of its characters with sincerity and respect. Barnes and Paxton aren’t dead ringers for any of the missionaries I’ve met (and growing up in a Mormon community, it’s been quite a few), but they come pretty close; and the film treats them with a lot of sympathy.

I prefer the first half of the movie to the second, although I don’t think most horror fans will agree with me. The movie frontloads the philosophical and religious arguments, and lets the latter half carry more of the thrills and chills. Both are handled well, but I’m not sure your average audience is going to be too interested in some of the specific religious conversations.

Heretic is remarkably mild for an R-rated horror film, and most of the issues come from some quite graphic but relatively brief violence. There was, as far as I noticed, no profanity to speak of, and no use of drugs or alcohol. The protagonists open the film with a fairly candid, if non-graphic, conversation on sexual subjects, and one of them is pantsed by cruel strangers, but that’s the sum total of sexual content.

There’s not too much else I can talk about without, in my opinion, spoiling large parts of the film. Suffice to say, Heretic is not suitable viewing for younger audiences, and the R-rating should be taken seriously. Horror fans who want more mind games than gore will likely enjoy the creeping tension and unsettling philosophical questions – I did, anyway.