Heretic (2024) A24 Movie Review 🫐 + SPOILERS

[@GriffinLisuk]

I really liked this movie but based on the marketing I thought this movie was going to be a lot more puzzle/game oriented with them having to do certain faith based “tests” to continue through his maze. But it ended up being a lot simpler than they portrayed it in the marketing material

[@emjazz11atd]

Exactly what I had assumed as well!

[@xotennisxgirlox]

Yeah true

[@xotennisxgirlox]

Like what was the point of his “maze” construction?

[@rikkipoynter]

This.

[@tenimeartstudios]

@GriffinLisuk That was my *only* issue, because that too is what I was expecting.

[@katie.andreas27]

SPOILERS! My biggest takeaway right out of the theatre was that I had preconceived notions about how things would play out for each girl, and the movie completely flipped them on their head. I assumed Paxton would be the weaker character because she has these more traditionally "feminine" characters such as being more timid, naive, and docile, and those are characteristics that I have unfortunately been conditioned to associate with weakness. Playing the movie back I realized she's actually extremely detail oriented and picks up on a lot of things that her counterpart glazes over, such as the caged window, sounds from upstairs, and of course the position of the prophet's head. Where you think she might be naive and judgmental you realize she's actually very compassionate.

[@sarahfell7040]

When she gave her coat to the woman caged it was truly like she’s a good caring person who knew she wasn’t going to make it out of this situation

[@amandastewart1358]

In the movie Mr. Reed talked about how your brain creates images when it’s hypoxic/dying, so I feel like Sister Paxton was in the process of dying when she saw the butterfly. She was the one who wanted to come back as a butterfly, so it would make sense why she would see that as she’s dying

[@shundy00]

The way I interpret the ending is the butterfly represents her keeping her faith, even after all the doubt being fed to her

[@thesilentknight4554]

We got plenty of horror filled with gore, blood, and chases. It's so refreshing to see more psychologically mentally challenging horror that A24 usually nails. Need more! Sister Paxton was my favorite & stole the show for me. She was genuinely bubbly & fun!🙏🥰🌟 Mr. Reed: "With great power, comes great responsibility." Sister Paxton: "Spider-Man"😂

[@killer_queen-em5nl]

So I absolutely loved this movie. I totally get what you mean when you said you wanted more, but as ex-Mormon, this movie was deeply personal to me. I served a mission and the portrayal of missionaries is 10/10. I saw myself in both sisters, and I loved that. Sister Paxton’s character was amazing and I loved the social commentary in this movie. It honestly gave some of my experiences in the church a voice and made me feel seen and heard

[@squidboitoys]

For me that whole Monopoly discussion was so interesting that honestly made the movie for me. BUT that whole sequence where one of the girls is running through the house and you see it in the little miniature version of the house. I loved that.

[@jasmvnee__]

i loved that scene too ! i felt like i could "keep up" with everything he was saying . usually in religious movies i dont understand what a character is trying to say and its so frustrating but everytime he said something i was literally like "ahh" 😂😂

[@ditchthewitch1821]

I actually really enjoyed Sister Paxton’s character development. They portrayed her as being very naive and almost ditzy at the beginning, and in a typical horror movie a character like that would die first. I liked her monologue when she figured everything out and explained it because there was a shift in power from Mr. Reed to her.

[@janeenright8450]

100% agree, her arc from trying to do exactly what she thought would get her out and placate him, to saying fuck it was very unexpected

[@aaroncarson1770]

@@ditchthewitch1821 good point

[@stockson3267]

I liked how realistic the movie was. I appreciated that there wasn't a ritual or a demon or anything like that. I think Mr. Reed just being a "creep" and not a supernatural entity made the horror more real and scary to me in my opinion. I agree with what you said, they introduced a somewhat new concept but they did not push the envelope with these ideas. It kinda seemed like Mr. Reed wanted to play God with the fate of the two sisters (and the other unfortunate women). I was disappointed that the basement and even the model of the layout wasn't as intricate as I thought it was going to be. My take away is God is a woman and its Sophie Thatcher hahaha

[@paulsillanpaa8268]

When you realize that his huge revelation basically boils down to “control” it’s both horribly petty but also huge & terrifying. Because he’s already done this before.

[@moiseviator9030]

Sister Paxton for sure died in the basement. If you look at her phone when she gets out of the basement it still says "NO SIGNAL." This is, in my opinion, a clear signal that everything is a hallucination and she never got out of Mr Reed's house.

[@gyozalover]

I noticed that too.

[@igoldenknight2169]

My opinion that's stupid because its a hallucination within a hallucination. Makes no sense.

[@samanthasanchez9290]

I thought maybe she escaped but died out in the snow. She mentions earlier that when she dies she's gonna come back as a butterfly and land on one of her loved one's hands, like the butterfly does in the end. But it cuts back to her hand and there's no butterfly there. I took that as she made it out but hallucinated the butterfly while bleeding out/getting hypothermia/dying in the snow.

[@Ethan00130]

@@samanthasanchez9290this is EXACTLY what I also thought, sure it could’ve been a sign from the other sister I guess (??) but SHE was the one who said it

[@igoldenknight2169]

@@samanthasanchez9290 I keep telling people this! Not sure why its so hard for others to understand. They keep making these deep explanations when I felt it was pretty understandable on what happened.

[@natashastacey4480]

I like Sister Barnes' temporary resurrection as it came just after Sister Paxton talking about how she knows prayer doesn't work but she prays anyway because it's a nice thing to do. I thought the "miracle" of Sister Barnes temporarily waking up to save her was supposed to make us question whether Sister Paxton was wrong and prayer does work.

[@katieduong52694]

it's so interesting hearing different reviews because i haven't heard a single one that has the same opinion. i personally love that the movie, besides the very ending, was grounded in reality. i think if it went supernatural or demonic, like longlegs, i'd be disappointed and bored tbh.

[@alex_inchains]

Honestly couldn’t stop listening to Sophie Thatcher’s cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and the Hollies song since the movie.

[@Edowin-jz2sj]

I loved the use of music in the movie and had no idea that was Sophie Thatcher doing the cover!

[@joshhaight8526]

I genuinely think this movie has a unique perspective for those of us who were at one point deeply involved with a religion and are now agnostic/ atheist. Religious deconstruction is extremely scary and in itself is a horror element.

[@AyameObsessed]

Thank you

[@readyforclarity]

Yeah it was really wild to watch it as an exmo. But I definitely felt like the movie played it a bit safe even in that aspect.

[@tenimeartstudios]

@joshhaight8526 All of this. Raised Evangelical, lost faith at 16, running further & further with age/increased Christian Nationalism.

[@nileshollowthorn]

It’s very rare a movie comes out that you want to be a specific thing and that movie just…is exactly what you hoped for. I loved this movie! Basically exactly what I wanted from it.

[@BasketKase]

A movie that so heavily leans on philosophy, and how integral it is to religion, going on to answer every question is so backwards. Religion is intended to fill the gaps we can’t explain…

[@MissChineseTakeaways]

I was just thinking WHERE is Sarahs review!! ❤

[@giselleparks3125]

I love the cast and the way this was filmed, it definitely made up for what it lacked in plot devices because every time we were finally getting somewhere, they tied it up in a neat bow and moved on to the next. I really wanted to engage more and this felt dumbed down, a little spoon fed with some of the points it made. I still enjoyed it!

[@igoldenknight2169]

I really dislike the theory that Sis Paxton died in the basement because it makes no sense to show a hallucination within a hallucination through the audience's eyes. Sis Paxton hallucinated the butterfly because she was still alive and dying. She couldn't hallucinate if she was dead.

[@AE-ee6mg]

They talked about near-death experiences having this air of uncertainty, which I think the butterfly momentarily appearing/disappearing could play into maybe?

[@igoldenknight2169]

@ I agree, very true. I just feel like the majority leave out a 3rd option of what could have happened. Which is that she is simply dying outside instead of being dead or dying in the basement. Also, I don't think its fair to say Sis Paxton died so quickly while Mr Reed was literally stabbed in the neck.

[@emjazz11atd]

You’ve voiced the majority of my thoughts about this one perfectly. I’ve also thought about it as some days have passed since I’ve seen it, but similar to what happened with Longlegs, my curiosity about the film had more to do with potential than it did execution

[@thehitherto5348]

I liked it, but it didn't go nearly far enough for a movie with dark and grimy underground dungeons.

[@tenimeartstudios]

I *did* absolutely want more of a maze, especially when they show the model.

[@tklondon2818]

Yeah the resurrection of Sister Barnes thing threw me, too. And I was also expecting satanism or something. It was decent but, like you, I also wanted more.

[@my-name-is-faith]

i honestly never get scared by movies BUT this one had a few really good jump scares and was really tense!!!! i liked it a lot. especially growing up religious a lot of it hit close to home. i felt like the end wasn’t as strong as i wanted but the rest of it was fantastic

[@makebelievetonight]

I LOVE love loved the first part of the movie, I was so into it and then once we got to the prophet I started to question where the movie was going. I was expecting more of a game/puzzle (mostly because of the trailer I guess) where the sisters question their faith at each step, but I didn't really get the sense that anyone was persuaded to believe anything other than what they believed at the start of the movie. I still really enjoyed watching it and I thought Hugh Grant was perfect, but I do agree with you, I wish there was more questioning and less spoonfeeding.

[@aaroncarson1770]

The horror for me was all the mansplaining.

[@vickytime3855]

Hahaha right

[@jtru0]

Lol

[@robk.6591]

Lol 😅

[@PossessedbyHorror]

LOL

[@aaroncarson1770]

@@PossessedbyHorror The character thoroughly irritated me, which means that Hugh Grant did a great job. Even more galling than Vicar Anthony Campion from "Sirens."

[@mariem92]

I completely understand what you’re saying because I think I felt the same way. I was very hyped for this movie, and although I liked it, I was expecting something a bit different and a bit more. It was a good movie, but I’ve seen much better horror movies this year, so it still feels like a bit of a letdown for me. But Hugh Grant was really phenomenal!

[@jasonmyersOU812]

Hey Bud, first off you are looking great, loving the black nails. For some reason while watching the movie I too was feeling a kind of disconnect. I wasn't as engaged as I thought I would be while watching it. The trailer was giving a much more tension then I think we got in the final movie. The killing of Sister Barnes upped the stakes and the Sister Paxton's actor did a good job of portraying the gravity of the situation. Overall I say that it was a good movie and it is nice to see Hugh Grant doing new and interesting things.

[@chloemai29]

i was convinced the movie was going to do an as above so below type ending with them having gone into the depths of the 9 circles of hell as sister paxton was running through the house… disappointed it didn’t but i also would like to agree that sister paxton did in fact die and her escaping and the butterfly was her idea of heaven!

[@OneWingedDemonSlayer]

A blueberry pie candle is something I didn’t expect to buy but I did 🤣

[@tenimeartstudios]

@OneWingedDemonSlayer I guessed that before it was revealed, and I was pretty proud of myself, because I don't often pick up on those things.

[@catsandbatswithhats]

I'm watching Heretic tonight, so I'm excited to get home and watch your review after!

[@SnackPack31]

I liked Heretic a lot, but I also had different expectations going into it. I fully thought when they were in the basement and the "resurrection" happened that he actually worshiped some ancient pagan spider god because I read way too much into the spider coming out of the metal pipe when they first got down there, and then I thought a spider descended from the ceiling onto the woman's hand (it was dust) lmao. All of the performances were so good though--I love Sophie Thatcher, and I know I'll rewatch it just to catch more of the subtleties that happen throughout their conversations in the first half.

[@joeydryoel3866]

I'm actually glad they didnt go with supernatural powers from any of the characters because it would've distracted from the plot in my opinion. I believe it's better to have us questioning the people and their circumstance rather than getting handed an unquestioned plot about the supernatural. Longlegs couldve benefited from this grounding in reality too (in the 3rd act), in my opinion.

[@adventurefilmclub2549]

It's a well made, enjoyable movie with occasionally creepy moments, but it really could have been great if it'd pushed things to a much more extreme and weird place in the final third. Solid film but a bit meh after the credits roll.

[@briatrixkiddo1775]

Yesssss ! That’s exactly how I felt. I just wanted more. I wanted more creepy moments. I was actually hoping he really did find something new. Not just he was crazy lol

[@adventurefilmclub2549]

@briatrixkiddo1775 I was hoping some weird ass new/ancient supernatural force was behind it all, rather than the slightly prosaic ending they offered up. I'm an atheist but I want weird, creepy supernatural madness in my life sometimes!

[@charliesoto120]

"I wanted mr. Reed to be a powerful cult leader!" 😂😂😂 this is why you are my favorite you tuber! You literally read my mind. Love your reviews ❤

[@Diomenesx]

To be fair, he was. He basically had his own cult, with his own "followers", and doctrine. The movie we basically bare witness to the consecration of his religious communion of "control"

[@MadailinBurnhope]

yeah same

[@brismart2598]

I enjoyed this film, but it felt like an earlier Blumhouse film rather than an A24 film (which isn't a bad thing at all imo), but like you said, they could've gone SOOO much further with things. everything felt very surface level to me, and i wish more was up to the audience's interpretation. it started so strong for me, but once they went into the basement, the story just lost me more and more. solid 3/5 for me, but i had much higher hopes for it

[@tiffanytannerrrr]

Watching this in Utah with my friends (most of us are queer and exmormon) was such an amazing healing experience- they did such a fantastic job at pointing out flaws in organized religion as a whole while still allowing the sister missionaries to be portrayed in a respectful way (as terrible as the church is, for the most part missionaries really are just brainwashed kids). The thing that struck me the most was the repetition of “you can leave whenever you want to, you have that choice”- very indicative of what high demand religions tell their members. This movie was not perfect but I have never been more accurately the target audience, and I was not disappointed in the slightest.

[@beccaw74]

Same here! I think the trope of the only monster here is man/manmade institutions worked for the movie. It gave the movie a sense of realism. I know a lot of people wanted Mr. Reed to be a cilt leader, or for there to be supernatural elements, but I personally felt like that would have taken away from the movie rather than added to it. I loved a lot of the symbolism throughout the entire film, and I feel like it actually had a message about informed consent and how unfair it is for someone to make a choice without really knowing what they are getting into (i.e. the walls of the house being metal. The sisters were asked if they were ok with that fact without the full understanding of why that could be something they werent ok with) Many exmos I know wish that informed consent was a bigger thing in the church. I went in with as little information as i posibly could on the film. I watched only one trailer, and while i did wish that there were some story elements that were done differently, I still walked away from the movie without disappointment beyond the fact that the sister missionaries did not make it out alive.

[@amandastewart1358]

I think the end question was important to the entire theme of the movie. Because either her faith helped get her out or her faith was baseless and she died in the basement

[@jtru0]

Sounds like they played it safe. Lol. Not my genre (religious horror) but I still enjoy hearing your thoughts. Have a great weekend ❤

[@BradsPitts.]

Hugh Grant had fun in this one lol. Obviously Reed is messed up af but tbh he also made some good points

[@nikokristiansson2404]

i remember thinking halfway through this last week " i cant wait for possessed by horror to review this and add it to the cozy list " . loved this movie, the aesthetic and subject matter was so great.

[@PossessedbyHorror]

Definitely is cozy! I could see myself rewatching. Sometimes a simple cozy movie is exactly what I want.

[@wendymcmahan1873]

I really really wanted the supernatural element. I was hoping they Hugh's character had actually discovered the 'true religion." Something supernatural he could present to the girls that would absolutely blow their minds and turn their worlds upside done. But no, it was just about the idea of control in religion. If Mr. Reed had truly stumbled upon something incredible it would have elevated this movie so so much. This movie needed the supernatural

[@guacocado8861]

The “control” message doesn’t feel fresh or unique enough to stand on its own-it’s one of the more basic commentaries people share about religion. It would’ve been better if there was some other element in the story to supplement that message.

[@Hoosier_leclere]

No that's every other scary movt

[@PutingPinoy]

I agree! I was super hoping that the man would really turn out to be a really intelligent philosopher and leaving it all open ended as to whether he was a terrible or that he just turned out to be a dude just really passionate about philosophical questions. Though it did have a point about how separate this movie was from anything else that it concludes on giving it a more meta way of considering the things it showed.

[@bhamgatsby]

Me & my boyfriend were blown away…. He loved it. And I haven’t gotten nauseous in a theater in years…. I just found this exciting

[@Amanda.aka.Megan.Shines]

I sort of think that maybe the butterfly was Sister Paxton's spirit representing that she did die. Because it was Paxton, not Barnes, that had the butterfly reincarnation wish. And I watched an ex-Mormon review the movie and the whole butterfly reincarnation wish goes against what Mormons believe happen after death to begin with. And when Barnes wasn't willing to go through the disbelief door but Paxton didn't even question it because it was implied that that was the "right " answer. So even though it sort of hints at Barnes being the more skeptical, I think she was actually the more true believer. So I don't think she would come back as a butterfly, even if given the chance. I don't know that I think Sister Paxton's spirit literally manifested as a butterfly as she was dying, I think the intention was more as a metaphor that she was dying/dead. I think the most sinister part of the whole movie was the way that the caged people were constantly kept wet and humid. I can't even think about it too much because it makes me sick. And it was such an escalation from everything else. Like from subtle control and manipulation to showing that the end result is constant, horrible, torture. The sprinklers and the way he watered them with a watering can. Like the sickness, rotting and infections that causes. Its so so much worse than just being kept in cages. I completely could have done without it. It also makes the whole "they choose to be here" make less sense.

[@briggitmendez2032]

Growing up a Jehovah Witnesses I saw myself in the sisters and it was very scary to think I would’ve easily fallen in Mr. Reeds lies 😂

[@thatslirinohegood]

i saw this on halloween night and was really not stoked about it but the group vote favoured this and i was extremely pleasantly surprised

[@ChristieCrownover]

I thought the same thing about the dollhouse....I thought there would be more labyrinth or puzzle type scary stuff. Still enjoyed the movie!! I was looking forward to your review, did not disappoint. Thanks!

[@robertovrivas]

that's the best thumbnail for the video lol

[@PossessedbyHorror]

I forgot to pose for one so I had to screen shot from the review 🤣 glad it sums up the review

[@robertovrivas]

@PossessedbyHorror I love your channel, thank you for all the wonderful content:)

[@AstralAustin]

My thoughts exactly! They could’ve gone so high concept with this film. There were so many little things that I thought were hints or clues but then none of them went anywhere :/ I still really liked it but was craving so much more. I’d also give it 3.5/5

[@laurabear1041]

Just got home from watching this. I completely agree with your review. I do think I need a rewatch when it comes out on streaming.

[@tenimeartstudios]

The things you wanted would've made me *HATE* the movie, and the things you're complaining about made this one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time.

[@tenimeartstudios]

And you saying "everything was cliché & predictable & [you] saw everything coming" makes me feel stupid that I didn't get any of that (and I frequently can tell where horror/thriller movies are going, *because* there are so many overused clichés in the genre/s).

[@packedentertainment2866]

… 😬 I guess it’s all subjective

[@NicoleChesnutt]

I feel the same way @tenimeartsrudios. This is easily in my top 20 of all time. I gotta stop watching her video lol I almost never agree.

[@tenimeartstudios]

@NicoleChesnutt Haha, I don't have to agree with her to enjoy her takes on things, and if she'd simply said she didn't like it, I would've moved on with my day. What baffled me was her saying "I liked it, I just wish it was a completely different movie." 😅

[@gregg3744]

I love how you are never afraid to critique instead of worship and fawn over every new “great” horror movie.

[@HauntFreak13]

I loved this movie personally. Though I agree the end needed more ambiguity. I wish they’d left it a mystery of how the bicycle lock got on the door and why she happened to have the key. Did he plan that? Coincidence? Who put it there?

[@dagent47]

No disrespect when I say this... The "I wish" or "I wanted" use in movie critiques are insanely bland and bring nothing to the discussion about the movie. Idk how the film actually was, just it's comparison to what someone thought up in their heads.

[@TheTongueTwisler]

If you think about the "resurrection scene", I like to think about it , well, religiously. It kinda juxtaposes earlier in the movie with the Prophet that was "resurrected" but in reality it was just Mr. Reed switched the corpse for another woman. In the sense of the Sisters, I like to interpret it that Sister Barnes having a TRUE resurrection, because of her faith and because of what she believed and wanting to come back to save her Sister from him. As opposed to Mr. Reed's fake resurrection

[@coastervelocity3899]

I think the “everything can be explained up until the end” is the point it was trying to make about religion: the “end” being the afterlife because nobody truly knows

[@millerbeez9310]

spot on review! I was really excited for this one.

[@lilvamplaura]

Couldn't agree more. Thought of the Heaven ending as well. I also wanted more from the film but kinda settled on maybe the point is just being made through there not being a supernatural deity in the basement when I kind of hoped there would be something to that nature.

[@ashtree333]

Finally, a reviewer who agrees with my take :,) it just had so much potential & went an interesting way.

[@vickytime3855]

Love your reviews!! I had different expectations for this as well and wished it would have gone further. I'd really love to know your thoughts on Red Rooms and Azrael- two others I've seen recently.

[@PossessedbyKaitlyn-k9q]

I enjoyed this one a lot! I thought all of the concepts and conversations introduced were very interesting. I do wish that they took the horror elements just a bit farther. I gave this one a 3.5 ⭐️

[@caitlinpowell5422]

i really liked this film but your review has made me wonder what it would’ve been like if it had ended at the point with the trap door. he was pushing so hard for her to ‘find out the truth’ and i guess i wanted a bit of push back from her because faith is so often about ‘not knowing’. it could’ve ended the same way - with her going down the trap door and him closing it and his thesis about ‘control’ would have still worked. but then i guess the whole thing would be more bleak than horrific haha

[@matthewcraig6395]

I totally agree we needed more mysterious/supernatural elements. By explaining everything and reducing Reed to a crazy arrogant atheist, the movie almost gives similar vibes as a Pureflix movie. Like it’s biased against people who don’t believe in God.

[@queenQueso1]

I feel the same way, I so wanted to see more puzzles and labyrinths and crazy things

[@annastimac6357]

Ur my fav Sarah!

[@zoilalulu3798]

This movie just fell flat for me. It had such an interesting premise and the first part up until they get to the reveal of the blueberry candle was good. Everything else after just went in a weird direction. I was like, is that what were doing right now? They could've made it so much better; I was expecting a Saw-esque type movie, honestly.

[@teresamarra8887]

I actually really loved that it didn't have any supernatural elements to it, I feel like that would have ruined it for me. I liked that the story was reserved and kept as this creepy guy who just loves terrorizing people and hearing himself talk.

[@cygone]

My preferred interpretation is that SPOILER WARNING Paxton died in the basement and the spoiler is that she is having a near-death experience, dying or entering the afterlife depending on your belief/interpretation. That seems appropriate to the themes laid out in the film.

[@frankthetankct]

I thought it was legit. Grant's character was a highlight for me. I agree with you saying they needed to push it more though. Somehow, they needed to. I was leaning more towards a serial killer thing in my head with the villain. I guess he was, kind of. It would have been interesting to see Mr. Reed eventually start to crack and see him less collected and intellectual and more visceral and scattered as he lost control of the situation. Control being his religious choice, he'd be losing his faith in himself.

[@schobyschnacks4527]

Love the review and at first, I agreed with the point of them not leaving enough room to imagine. They give us the answer “the one true religion is control” and then I realize them giving us the answer is the control. They came to the conclusion for us- leaving us with no room to think about any other one true religion. They have essentially controlled the audience. 🤔 thoughts anyone?

[@chubby_deity3143]

With all this talk about reincarnation, is this supernatural? that would ruin it for me. Supernatural stuff has never scared me because I know it's not real, the ones that scare me most are the ones that can actually happen irl. But at the very least, this sounds like a great idea executed plainly, which is better than a great idea executed poorly.

[@Edowin-jz2sj]

Yes! This movie has continued a trend that I've seen in recent years of near flawless build-up following by a disappointing final act (Barbarian and Talk to Me immediately came to mind after watching this). The first half was amazing, I was enthralled and near euphoric by the dialogue, the topic of iterations, and the performances of all 3 actors. Spoilers: Then the second half devolved into generic slasher territory. I was also hoping to hear about an actual "one true religion" that predated all of these iterations, only to be disappointed. Barnes' resurrection was very odd, but I actually found her character to be the more interesting of the two missionaries as there seemed to be a greater story with her character than what's revealed on screen.

[@Kaeleebug97]

As an exmormon who was a sister missionary, this movie was very scary for me 😂 but i totally understand it not having that effect on everyone

[@AE-ee6mg]

I'm glad I didn't watch a single thing going into this one, because I can see how marketing might've played into it seemer slightly more simple. I actually think the idea that (spoiler) died at the end of the film has a lot more credibility than you'd think (and intentionally so), especially when they talk about death being like a bright white light, cloudy, things seeming uncertain (which all happen to Sister Paxton). You've also got the phone which still has no bars even though they're outside the basement (also the idea in Dante's Inferno that the way to heaven is first down through hell) ---- all of this supports that. I personally don't believe it, but there's enough evidence for both.

[@mehdidjemai3214]

I loved your review ❤

[@mahoelihaai]

My favorite american ginger horror fan....keep up the good work...grtz from Belgium

[@marigolera]

I also felt really conflicted with this movie. But still a enjoyable movie.

[@jackiew6402]

This was my favorite movie of the year. I don't even think I'd consider it a horror movie, but the horror elements included were unbelievably well done. I hate to overhype something, but I genuinely could not love this movie more.

[@emmarobinson4618]

100% agree with your ending theory! I think she died when she was praying in the basement.

[@carlgrimeseyepatch27]

I really liked this although it wasn’t perfect. It scared me at times and i loved Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton. I even loved the end it felt like what being a christian felt like! Religion and Belief and Faith are different things! The butterfly being there at the end but not being there? was it there because she believed it was? does that mean it’s real if you believe it to be? Is faith reality? Anyway love you sarah! ❤

[@GlynDwr-d4h]

Heretic is like Longlegs. You get a sense of the kind of movie they were going for in broad strokes, but they kind of failed to land it or close the deal with the nuts and bolts details in the script. In both cases, it was a cool idea, but the execution left something to be desired.

[@margo0331]

hey! What do you think about Anora? will you film a video about the film?

[@ash_leaf]

I loved this movie and as an ex-mormon from Ogden, UT, it really hits different lol!

[@MadailinBurnhope]

I agree with your review, it had lots of potential and I was ultimately underwhelmed I felt that the story should have either been simpler, or more complex; as it was it was kind of neither here nor there in the end, I think the most chilling indictment of religion was that it willingly puts girls in danger to evangelize; even when the vicar person was looking for the girls, he ended up caring more about giving this "nice man" a pamphlet than finding them

[@ginagina909]

I wanted more game action because of the model he created. It was good.

[@Teddy84-i6w]

Just got back from the cinema and I absolutely loved this film. Hugh Grant was fantastic in this and you could tell he relished this role. It was a little obvious that he was trying to disprove to the girls their religion by playing some kind of game. I’m really glad it didn’t turn out to be supernatural as I think that wasn’t needed. As a non religious person it was interesting to watch this, I wonder how religious people interpreted it and if there is a difference.

[@asan1050]

Wait a minute!!!! NO RANT? Please I need the customary rant.

[@aishaahmad9653]

lol hugh grant was the last person i expected to play this role

[@lisalee1557]

I’m personally so tired of the demonic/satanic explanations for horror movies, like the ending of Longlegs felt like an easy cop-out for me 😭 I liked how this was (somewhat) more grounded in reality

[@glamdawling]

I liked this movie for sure. It’s a top 5 of the horror movies I’ve seen. There were some parts that made me feel a whole lotta dread. But also agree that they could’ve taken the plot much farther than they did.

[@witnesssinceinnocents]

Still here since the purple hair wazzzz up

[@jbaby5859]

It’s hard.. I feel like them showing the board with the nails in it when they put it to the side shows it’s real. The nails in the board representing the crucification of Jesus and her coming back to save her is the miracle.. then the butterfly appearing and disappearing shows that her faith is proven correct or confirming her beliefs. Everyone talks about the snow but it’s snowing when the guy comes looking for them.

[@stanleymkhize4433]

this guys did Haunt one of the best horror film ever so I was especting tension and twists on that level i’m curious now

[@realhousewifeoftransylvania1.0]

We don't actually know if paxton made it out! It could of all been in her head seeing Barnes suddenly come back.

[@haniahelsinki]

I watched a review of the movie by a former mormon and found it very interesting. I think her name was Alyssa Greenfell.

[@jasmvnee__]

i thought she died in the basement like whenever he had the knife to her neck and then he obviously will eventually die from his wounds and she imagined Barnes coming back to life and killing him and everything after that

[@MaryJoHeadrick]

I think it was supposed to spark “maybe this is supernatural” but then it’s just a dude with a basement. I think that was part of the religion metaphor. that was how I read it at least

[@guacocado8861]

I was expecting way more from Topher Grace’s character! It felt like he was just there to (1) provide some humor, with the “did you get this pamphlet?” bit and (2) as a way to call back to Mr. Reed’s comments about how missionaries are just “tools” for spreading faith (almost implying that they’re forgettable/disposable). Maybe that’s all he needed to be, but it would’ve been cool to see Elder Kennedy’s experience in Mr. Reed’s house since he’s obviously higher up in the church.

[@MadailinBurnhope]

the pamphlet scene showed that his character cares more about proselytising than finding the girls, kind of chilling imo

[@codeinesnaps]

i was looking at goosebumps book covers and you suddenly mentioned RL Stine... that's...... creepy

[@Nnn-t2z]

Reed got it all wrong. Religion is not about trying to control. The control belongs to the person that has faith and believes in their religion. Sister Barnes does get out alive and she wants to believe Sister Paxton came to her as a butterfly after her passing. This is her belief and thats why it disappears to the audience because this notion is hers.