If you’ve watched *Heretic*, it’s likely that your perspective on Hugh Grant will be forever altered.

This disturbing and thought-provoking A24 horror film, co-written and co-directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (*A Quiet Place*), ensnares audiences in a labyrinth of unsaid dangers, religious topics, and blueberry pie. Grant’s depiction of the unsettlingly welcoming Mr. Reed emerges as one of the more surprising and chilling antagonists in contemporary horror film.

### What’s *Heretic* about?

On a gloomy and tempestuous day, Mormon missionaries Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are assigned to visit the residences of individuals interested in learning more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their subsequent visit is to Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who invites them in under the pretense of his wife baking something nearby.

Initially, Mr. Reed presents as likable, engaging the missionaries in a philosophical exchange concerning faith and the waning significance of religion in contemporary society. Nevertheless, it soon becomes evident that all is not right. Despite his “hubby” mug, his wife is nowhere to be found. As the dialogue progresses, Mr. Reed discloses his more malicious objectives, probing the women’s faith in increasingly unsettling ways. To exit the house, they must select between two doors: one marked “belief” and the other “disbelief.” Yet, where do these doors lead?

### What transpires at the conclusion of *Heretic*?

The film’s peak is a flurry of high-stakes discussions, startling truths, and violent confrontations. Ultimately, it tells the tale of a man yearning for supremacy over women, camouflaging his murderous inclinations with lengthy discourses on faith and spirituality.

Following a grueling experience, Paxton adopts a bolder stance, contesting Mr. Reed’s power. She labels him a fraud, especially after witnessing an alleged “miracle” in his basement, which she suspects is fabricated. Resolute to substantiate her theory, Paxton uncovers a concealed trapdoor leading to the core of Mr. Reed’s grotesque scheme: a tunnel adorned with occult markings that culminates in a frigid chamber where several women are housed in cages, malnourished and barely clinging to life.

Paxton realizes that Mr. Reed has been enticing women into his dwelling, poisoning them with pie, and employing them in his gruesome experiments to display his dominion over existence and mortality. Every detail is meticulously orchestrated, from the timed lighting to the automatic locks, all devised to ensnare his victims.

Mr. Reed permits Paxton to discover the imprisoned women, savoring the moment as he proclaims that control is the “one true religion.” However, Paxton manages to stab him with a hidden letter opener and attempts to flee. She becomes disoriented within the maze-like domicile and retreats to the basement, where Mr. Reed, having accessed a concealed tunnel, stabs her. In her final moments, Paxton prays, and Barnes, who had been presumed dead, reappears and delivers the closing strike to Mr. Reed. Paxton then utilizes a map of the house to locate a small vent, through which she escapes into the wilderness.

### What’s Mr. Reed’s genuine motivation?

Throughout the film, Mr. Reed incessantly poses one pivotal question to the missionaries: “What is the one true religion?” He reveals that he has delved into every sect, cult, and doctrine in search of an answer, only to conclude that control embodies the ultimate truth. His basement experiments are crafted to “prove” this assertion, as he imposes elaborate tests of faith and belief on his victims while delivering pretentious monologues on various subjects, ranging from Monopoly to Radiohead.

Mr. Reed’s maze-like residence serves as a trap for faith-driven women, engineered to provoke doubts about their beliefs while he enforces his total control over them. His previous inquiry regarding polygamy foreshadows his ambition to dominate multiple women, providing a troubling glimpse into his true aims.

Ultimately, Mr. Reed’s motivations transcend religion or faith; they revolve around authority and domination. From the moment Barnes and Paxton crossed into his fortified refuge, he viewed them as captive audiences for his warped experiments. However, the women ultimately outsmart him, with Barnes sacrificing herself for Paxton’s safety.

### What’s the importance of the butterfly?

In the film’s closing moments, as Paxton wanders through the forest following her escape from Mr. Reed’s home, a butterfly alights on her finger before vanishing.

This butterfly likely represents her deceased friend, Barnes. Earlier in the film, the two women shared thoughts on what occurs after death, with Paxton expressing a wish to be reincarnated as a butterfly to touch the fingers of her loved ones, letting them know she still exists. The butterfly could serve as Barnes’ way of assuring Paxton that she is not alone.

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