HERETIC Ending Explained (Full Movie Breakdown)

[@CortexVideos]

Hope you enjoy my breakdown of Heretic starring Hugh Grant. What were your thoughts on the film and what are your theories on the meaning of its ending?

[@homelesshannah50]

I believe that his character is a creepy old man pervert who uses his "questioning" of religion as an excuse to brutalize women. He hides behind the notion of challenging faith when he's nothing but an evil serial killer.

[@homelesshannah50]

I think Hugh's character is a complete sociopath, like the way he grimaces when he says you may even want to die. Like he's some casual observer and NOT the creepy thug tormenting them. Like Nancy Allen in Carrie she's mad at Carrie cause SHE was a rotten bully and had to face consequences. Some people are just so full of themselves that they never want to think they are wrong or bad or anything negative

[@marionmarino1616]

@@CortexVideos Your critiques of movies are always spot on. I depend on them. Certainly needed help with Heretic, that ending threw me. Hated the thought that she had died, but decided finally it was the only possible ending. The acting was really good and I was happy with Grant in that role. I’m an Atheist and zone out a bit when religious talk gets started. Maybe I could have paid more attention to the conversations. If you find The Collector somewhere grab it, great film with a similar idea.

[@joedso9710]

Paxton died. It's not left up to discussion she saw herself as a butterfly. The man said that there was someone here who was not who they are. Like finding a contraceptive metal device. She's supposed to be a woman of faith who believes in marriage before sex. Paxton also says she doesn't believe in prayer but finds it nice. So he was wrong on both of them actually about everything. That's why he went for her throat to stop the prayer because he couldn't stand being wrong. God is everything and if you yourself are not a believer read the Bible and follow his word before your time comes.

[@homelesshannah50]

@@joedso9710 Or he's just an evil asshole that uses that as an excuse to brutalize women.

[@evasirova3985]

Brilliant movie. I like how it doesn't tell you what the truth is or what you should believe in. It's going against mainstream movies that give you answer. Shame lots of audience is not quite there to appreciate this.

[@George-n2r]

And what in you're opinion 😮is the "answer"

[@ghanabaaremeyawabas3074]

DEEP!!!FACTS

[@George-n2r]

@@ghanabaaremeyawabas3074 you're talking in riddles. What's the question ❓ i assume you're a aethiest

[@ynzmadeleine]

@@George-n2r it's not a riddle, the only answer that matters is your own

[@joseph_nelson_esq]

Former LDS missionary here. Thought this movie was excellent. Kudos to the writers, they absolutely nailed this script. Clearly did their homework. 10/10

[@Dap0pe1]

One of the first movies involving mormons where the actors nailed playing the members perfectly.

[@HisNameIsEL]

Now THIS is how faith based movies should be. Not the hallmark type faith based movies people don’t really see. Faith based can be ANY type of genre. ESPECIALLY horror

[@tablescissors]

Or the dime-a-dozen Hollywood tropes with the same predictable demonization of religion and religious individuals.

[@brettmajeske3525]

Faith based? Everyone involved is an atheist. That is like calling the Exorcist a faith based movie. Just because some characters have personal belief does not make the movie faith based.

[@stevenvo1999]

Really enjoyed Heretic though it’s definitely not for everyone. Definitely leans somewhere in-between "conventional mainstream" horror and "elevated" horror. I know I overheard one guy leaving my cinema saying it was boring and a waste of time. And I can also see the film losing people in the second half when it leans more into the conventional horror. But for me, I was kept engaged throughout because of the three leads and the interesting discussions it provokes. I know I've already seen a few reviewers dismiss the film as just "Theology/Religious Studies 101". But I don't know, I thought the film's exploration of faith and belief was very interesting as someone who thinks very little about it, and I suspect others are like me too.

[@rookholgado]

I def fell asleep in the second half and missed a large chunk😅 I’ll need to watch it again

[@Patric_S]

I liked the shot early on where she touched her arm where the birth control was. It showed Reed's face realizing what it was as well.

[@alejandroperez-yy9ym]

Foreshadowing as what was to come

[@LA617-n1tx]

I agree with you, I preferred the first half to the second but I still enjoyed it overall! All three were great actors as well. Hugh Grant was so creepy haha

[@mindfulclarity169]

I was hoping he could prove NDE like flatliners movie or that she had an alien implant like the movie communion. Alas murder and contraception brought be back to a sad disbelief-type door path.

[@suertesamp]

I very much liked the monopoly analogy. Cant say id heard that one before

[@George-n2r]

Jesus wasn't born in December let alone he 25 th there's no claim of this in the Bible

[@suertesamp]

@@George-n2r not in the bible, but a roman pope made this claim so that Christian tradition dictated that his birthday was to be celebrated on Dec 25th. Pope was Pope Julius I

[@wickedlittleleo9218]

why is no one talking about the weird black shadows going up and down the walls throughout the entire movie?! I pointed it out, and my daughter said she didn’t notice until I did.. But after I did she couldn’t stop seeing them 😳 Was that an added touch to make us question what we the audience were seeing ?!

[@alejandroperez-yy9ym]

Woah I didn’t notice that I really need to see this movie again

[@wickedlittleleo9218]

@ I’m actually starting to wonder if there was just something wrong with the reel in our movie theater cause literally no one is talking about it 😂😂

[@alejandroperez-yy9ym]

@@wickedlittleleo9218 nah seriously might have been 😂

[@janacabenson8503]

I'm from Ogden Utah. This movie was a trip.

[@JJW77]

Thanks for your great review!

[@shanobian]

A lot of religious people need to watch this. Also hugh needs to play more weirdos! He was excellent. Agree with others though the ending fizzled out anticlimactic slightly but still thought provoking.

[@Hanid-ij1kp]

Here in the Philippines we will definitely watch Heretic. Thank you for featuring this movie. We are so excited to watch 🎉🎉🎉

[@CortexVideos]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@ffinbbin]

did anybody else notice the color going back into mr reed’s face at the end? the color grading of his face crawling towards paxton was more grey to show him dying, but when she prays, the color slowly fades back into his face! my friends didnt notice it and think im seeing things 😭

[@mysticaledits1195]

THIS MOVIE WAS SO SO SO SO GOOD

[@justthinkingoutloud2538]

As a recently returned latter-day saint missionary, I was vaguely curious while wary about this movie when I heard about it. It sounds interesting, but it also doesn't sound like it really represents our beliefs well. People don't turn into butterflies when they die, but hey, I've known plenty of missionaries with weird ideas that don't reflect our doctrine. Edit: I watched this review and wrote this comment after having heard next to nothing about it, except that some people didn't feel it represented religion well. Since then, I have watched some glowing reviews of the film by members of my faith, so I might check it out myself. Honestly, based on Cortex's description of the plot, it sounds like the writers actually have a really good knowledge of missionary protocol, so they probably do have a decent grasp on theology as well. Sorry for giving a harsh comment on little to no information.

[@stevenvo1999]

The butterfly thing in the film has nothing to do with Mormonism. It’s something that the Sister Paxton character expresses about herself to portray her goodness, innocence and naïveté. The two main actresses are also apparently actual ex-Mormons themselves, so they probably had a hand in authentically portraying those beliefs.

[@Kbcmkk5]

I have known lots of missionaries and they’ve always been very sweet and kind and on point. Satan works hard on them so who knows

[@tablescissors]

I thank you heavily for your POV, as it’s a key one explored (possibly exploited) in the film, although I am not Mormon myself. From this particular review, I got the sense that the film was not designed to be as insulting as one might expect, with the “villain” taking on a very Devil-like role as the eponymous Prince of Lies. I am not Mormon myself btw. It is also very telling that **stevenvo1999** states the women are “ex” Mormons, putting things into perspective further. Honestly, I saw the Mormonism initially as a way to simply put the young women at the door and fully recognize how rare it is that women do this, precisely for the reason that we still live in a society that is very dangerous for women and children.

[@homelesshannah50]

She didn't say she felt that because of being Mormon she just felt that cause that's what SHE s thinks as a person. Not all beliefs are wrapped around religion you know.

[@marionmarino1616]

@@justthinkingoutloud2538 I kind of wondered about the idea of two attractive, naive young women going around neighborhoods ringing doorbells. But then, I live in NYC and we know better.

[@marionmarino1616]

It’s a good movie with terrific performances. But I don’t like undetermined endings. Be clear, for gods sake, I’ll leave mysteries to the news media.

[@evasirova3985]

But that's the whole point of faith. Or even science. There are clear questions but not always clear answers.

[@marionmarino1616]

@ Yeah, the answers are there. We just can’t see them.

[@vdominguez355]

I feel the exact same about endings like this. Like bruh im here to watch a movie not study and be a film maker. Im not going home to right an essay about how the movie made me “feel” 🤦🏽‍♂️. 😅

[@mischabryn]

I read a comment on another vid that talked about she actually didn’t make it outside since they showed the phone made it outside of the metal walls but still had no signal & the storm was gone.

[@alejandroperez-yy9ym]

@@marionmarino1616this

[@BrentZimmerman-zw8nm]

Why was she back in the study then suddenly back in the basement to get stabbed? Weird use of flashback or something?

[@IndigobluBeauty]

It was a weird scene

[@alejandroperez-yy9ym]

That scene didn’t make sense to me either

[@daisyb4614]

She fell down the hatch.

[@LA_Commander]

Grant did a great job in this movie. I was riveted from A to Z.

[@dionysisnance4204]

I enjoyed the movie but it took a while for it get interesting though.

[@TheMorrigan333]

Loved the first half of the movie. The second half was… well let’s just say it had an agenda lol

[@personanongrata987]

I watched this movie yesterday in Yuma, and it stuck with me afterward while I went shopping for household goods. Then, in the parking lot, it suddenly struck me that Mr. Reed is a polygamist, which ties in to things he'd said to the two Sisters about their church's history. --

[@tablescissors]

Mr. Reed is with nobody, and by this review, we have no assumptions about what has occurred to the imprisoned and tormented women by the self-agrandizing “Heretic” - although various religions, including ancient China, Muslims, etc embrace polygamy as a lifestyle and modern day atheists also embrace polymorphism.

[@homelesshannah50]

They aren't his wives fool they are his PRISONERS. He's not looking for multiple wives that thug only sees women as victims. He didn't target the man that came to his door why not?

[@alejandroperez-yy9ym]

This movie stuck with me too honestly I can’t stop thinking about it and I want to watch it again honestly

[@briatrixkiddo1775]

Don’t get me wrong. This was a good movie and I loved Hugh Grant in it. I just really really wish there was a supernatural aspect. Not just he’s crazy lol. Overall not a bad movie

[@ColoradoNebraska]

In real life people are Iike him. No superstition needed

[@mstrcheef420]

1:59 I don’t mean to be pedantic by correcting your mispronunciation here, but its “validity”, not “validility”. Great video though. 👍🏻

[@dustinhessel9605]

Good movie. The first half was great, 2nd half will have mixed reviews

[@MoonMagicks]

Nice video! I'm really curious about the sequence of rooms under the hatch. Each door has a strange sigil and there was a pile of books among other things. Maybe it was just meant to look cryptic? I definitely thought it was going into Satanic route. I'm glad it didn't because that'd be too easy and misguided from actual Satanist beliefs.

[@DR-420-69]

The movie is explicit that faith and prayer are meaningless except as a pleasant lullaby to comfort the weak minded. The two doors of belief and disbelief lead to the same empty pit. Whether you believe or not, we all go to the same place: nowhere.

[@alphaomega1351]

I believe in the Great Pumpkin 🎃. 😳

[@SuperKong57]

An opinion that will prove false.

[@DR-420-69]

@ explain yourself please

[@SuperKong57]

@DR-420-69 You're making a bold claim from the premise of a movie loosely based on Mormon ideology warped into entertainment. You can't prove or disprove God or rather, the evidence of creation is present now and the logic that it came from nothing is baseless and illogical. Is my postion

[@DR-420-69]

@ someone sounds like their faith isn’t rock solid enough to withstand someone commenting about a movie’s premise. You should talk to your cult leader about your lack of faith

[@robbyroba]

Though where did he even get the idea that Krishna and Horus were ripoffs on Jesus? That is just some lie mythicists made up. No where in their mythology is it claimed that either were born on December 25th or were born of virgins or died and came back from the dead. Like is Jesus a historical figure? I don't know, some scholars agree he probably was. But this is not a way for someone to debunk the story of Jesus.

[@redlady935]

Feels like a similar genre to the film Get Out.... Loved the first half but felt it got a bit ridiculous second half

[@michaelandrew8493]

It was good but wasnt as scary as i thought it would be

[@manuelblunt2994]

I agree I thoroughly enjoy the movie. One thing that I love is the fact that both the doors for disbelief and belief led to the same void Heller space of nothingness. It is awfully funny that the person who is quickest to drop the facade of the religion is the one who made it out alive. It's very similar in Erie to when Jews in Nazi Germany would disavow their Judaism in the namesake of survival. But ultimately changing them forever and now many Jews are white with blonde hair. Before that the Jews were black then they became White now they're f****** blonde

[@joseaviles3198]

It’s a well made movie but to me; it felt like a Quinton Tarantino scene that never pays off. Just dialog.

[@War_Daddy_31]

I enjoyed this movie but really wish that Mr Reed would have ended up being Lucifer and that they were cast into a labyrinth of their past traumas and secrets having to rely on their faiths to escape the wickedness and snares of the devil himself

[@DoñaRatona]

Nah, the vanishing butterfly is more like she made it out, but trauma and being at the edge of death, she has construed a symbol to give her faith, to keep her going. Its about the power of the mind.

[@trent_king]

She said her spirit would manifest itself as a butterfly postmortem. So how did she "construe a symbol" randomly to be a butterfly? She never made it out. The butterfly landed next to her phone in her hand while the screen displayed "no signal" indicating she was still in his house. She was experiencing a peaceful hallucination but the spirited butterfly and the useless phone were the answers to whether she escaped or not

[@ColoradoNebraska]

I use to hate certain kinds of people but then i realized if God allows them to be evil and never punishes them ; why would they think they are wrong. Either i believe or i dont ; either way the damage done and humans are behaving as the gods they created

[@RainFall-wz2yp]

all 45 years of my life: all my self esteem and sense of self worth, has been raped out of me Three principle functions of the nervous system: - SENSORY INPUT (nervous system senses the spider on your leg) - INTEGRATION (nervous system processes the input, and decides what should be done about it) - MOTOR INPUT (hand shakes off the spider, a response that occurs when the nervous system activates certain parts of the body) --- CENTRAL nervous system - brain - spinal cord --- PERIPHERAL nervous system - SENSORY DIVISION (afferent) - picks up a sensory stimuli - MOTOR DIVISION (efferent) - sends directions from your brain to muscles and glands - SOMATIC nervous system - voluntary (skeletal movement) - AUTONOMIC nervous system - involuntary (heart, stomach, lungs) - SYMPATHETIC - sends the body into action - PARASYMPATHETIC - relaxes the body Neurons have huge appetites. They need a lot of oxygen and glucose. About 25% of daily calories are consumed by your brain. NEURON STRUCTURE: - Soma - cell body - Dendrites - listeners - Axons - talkers

[@B1B1B1B1-1]

Nurse she’s forgotten to take her meds again… yeah she’s speaking cryptic on youtube comments again

[@IndigobluBeauty]

It was interesting…I liked the second half better than the first. Him just being a sociopath and thinking he was the smartest in the room is what it all boiled down to. There was also commentary on how women are socialized to be “polite” to their detriment. I think she ultimately died though- it was bright outside, fully into the next day and there was no way all that time had passed. I don’t think the other sister rose up and saved her with one last burst of energy either

[@Ramirez_210]

Yes she died cause she said she wanted to be a butterfly when she dies and land on her own hand and that’s what happened in the ending

[@alejandroperez-yy9ym]

@@Ramirez_210that made me so sad honestly I feel so bad for them both 😞 I fell in love with them so it hurt to see them die

[@adammontgomery7980]

It's slow at times, but it's one of those movies that feels like every detail is intentional in a meta way. I don't think the girl made it out at the end; she's cold like the other women and the way the butterfly glitched on her finger makes me think she was hallucinating. Also, the prophet who, earlier, says "it's not real" could be a warning not to believe her escape.

[@joshsmith9572]

Valadility)

[@PhilterA1]

Hi from 🇮🇪. Awesome video. Dropped a sub . Three months into my movie review channel. So far, So good. Stay Cool. Philbo 🎬

[@CynicalMisanthrope-b3p]

I'm not one to be overly harsh without cause, but Heretic (2024) feels like a perfect example of society's recent tendency to pat itself on the back for "profound" ideas that, if we're honest, barely scratch the surface. This film's pseudo-intellectual approach and forced narrative attempt to convince audiences it's "brilliant and thought-provoking," yet its insights are about as deep as realizing Santa Claus isn't real-a revelation hardly requiring any true intellectual effort. Heretic tries to position itself as if it's reaching Dante's Inferno levels of profundity. But quoting ancient writers and lacing scenes with supposed "mystical" imagery doesn't make a movie insightful. Real profundity challenges the mind, digging into complex human experiences and ideas, not just rehashing recycled philosophical tropes in dark lighting. The film fails to elevate its own narrative and instead expects audiences to see these shallow, often overdone elements as cutting-edge or revolutionary. What really makes me sad, though, is the reception Heretic has received. Its praise seems to reflect a society increasingly unwilling-or maybe unable-to look deeper or demand better. If Heretic is supposed to be a film that's "brilliant" in today's landscape, what does that say about our standards? Have we grown so accustomed to mediocrity that surface-level insight now qualifies as profound? Ultimately, Heretic is neither groundbreaking nor thoughtful. It's a dressed-up, hollow shell marketed as "thought-provoking" to a society that too often mistakes superficial revelations for intelligence. This film highlights the unfortunate trend of hyping up hollow narratives as if they're revolutionary, showing just how low the bar for "brilliance" has sunk. It gets a 4/10 for Hugh's performance and cinematography

[@istherenooneleft]

I disagree. This movie is not meant to be a text book. It is meant to entertain. The premise of the movie is a man explaining to two Mormons his ideas about religion being false. So the movie has to explain from this context…it’s not trying to explain from a doctoral thesis defense. Also while the stuff presented is not new, that was never the goal. Did you think a movie was going to reveal a scientific or religious breakthrough…what the movie did well was present the topics in an entertaining way that forces the audience to confront their own beliefs. The material in this film is hardly touched in movies and hardly blended in the thriller horror genre this way as well. Many people have not heard religion in this context as people tend to stay in their echo chambers. Based on your review I believe you’re trying hard to live up to your name cynicalmisanthrope and I actually think you liked the movie and gave it an 9/10 privately…. But that’s just my belief 😊

[@marionmarino1616]

Maybe you took this movie too seriously. Or maybe I didn’t. I’m an Atheist and viewed Heretic mainly as entertainment. The religious discussions were interesting but didn’t involve me emotionally. Excellent casting & performances but the ending left me in the air.

[@tablescissors]

Ultimately, your review says more about yourself than the film or “society” and that is part of what makes something art - it reflects the viewer (even if, in this case, and by your own estimation, it is not the most note worthy on that front).

[@marionmarino1616]

@@CynicalMisanthrope-b3p Perhaps you expected too much from the movie. I watched it today hoping to find some entertainment. It is that, good cast and performances. Not bad. New ideas, anything profound? Of course not. Movies have been the dregs for some time now. At least this held my interest.

[@homelesshannah50]

You are reading WAY TOO MUCH into this, calm the hell down.

[@diamlee]

You sound like a robot

[@liilyanarose]

It was a bore …..

[@realitydude77777]

wow what alot of junk lol

[@madaraainna]

Islam. He believed in Islam.

[@lc8407]

He believed in control of society as the one true religion as all religions use control to influence ideas among people

[@Fatima-kp8hi]

No, no he didn’t 😂

[@trent_king]

😂

[@fuegoBunni]

Imagine that’s how it ended 😭 he just pulls out a prayer mat while they’re in the basement and says “mashallah”

[@TheSpoartsNetwork]

What a stupid plot.