Two young religious women are drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse in the house of a strange man. (IMDB)
Visually, Heretic is stunning. The cinematography captures the isolation of Reed’s home, creating an atmosphere that triggers both a feeling of beauty and unease.
At first, Reed’s house appears quaint and unremarkable, much like himself. However, as the plot progresses and we venture further into his home, it undergoes a metamorphosis, becoming more imposing, before sinking into the basement gruesomeness. This transformation symbolises the unveiling of Reed’s true nature.
Sisters Paxton and Barnes are perfectly portrayed by Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher. Sister Paxton starts as sheepish and shy and develops throughout the movie while Sister Barnes is more self-assured. While facing the man who seems to be the trigger of this transformation, the difference between the Sisters results in an awesome chemistry.
I kept the best for the end… After playing in the latest Dungeons & Dragons movie, Hugh Grant delivers a fantastic performance in Heretic and may very well jump in my top 5 favourite actors.
Heretic is among the best movies we’ve seen this year and I just found out that there’s gonna be a sequel… What a great end-of-year present!
The movie is loosely based on the true story of Anneliese Michel, a German girl who died of malnutrition and dehydration after undergoing multiple exorcism rituals. The film is actually more of a court room drama. However, there is no sparing of pure psychological terror.
The casting was excellent, Jennifer Carpenter portrayed a bone chilling Emily Rose. Eventhough, the film wasn’t the most creepy one I’ve ever seen, the scenes of the exorcism itself and Emily’s possessed episodes, were quite haunting.
I know that there are debates whether Emily / Anneliese was really possessed or whether she was just a very sick young girl. They claim that she suffered from epilepsy and psychosis, which would seem like a logical and scientific explanation. I still wonder what really happened to her? My science brain tells me she was ill, yet another part of me wonders whether there was more to it after all. Anyway, I guess we’ll never know…
It was the second time I’ve watched this movie and it was totally worth it. Definitely can recommend it!
Creepy side note: In real life, actress Laura Linney’s (the lawyer) TV turned itself on a few times in the middle of the night during production. I don’t know if this is true, but it’s the kind of thing that scares the living hell out of me.
