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HERETIC MOVIE REVIEW
Just because Halloween is over, that doesn’t mean random young people won’t come knocking on your door; only this time they aren’t asking for candy, they’re asking if you have a moment to talk about their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That’s right, we’re talking about Mormon missionaries. When Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) knock on the door of one Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), they get more than they bargained for. Despite promising the girls some of his unseen wife’s delicious blueberry pie, there will be no treats this evening, only a series of horrible tricks as Mr. Reed sets out to systematically undermine the girls’ religious and spiritual beliefs. What starts off as an uncomfortable theological discussion turns into a twisted game of cat and mouse as the girls try to escape Mr. Reed’s maze-like house and his even more labyrinthine schemes. Writing/directing duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (story and script for A Quiet Place) have crafted a visually effective cerebral thriller and assembled a fine trio of actors, especially Grant, who is surprisingly good as a monster-next-door type. But was that enough to convert our trio of reviewers and lapsed Catholics: Mike, Frank, and Marco? They’ve lit some scented candles, and gathered in the parlor to discuss whether Heretic is worthy of your veneration, or should be excommunicated from your must-watch list.
DIRECTED BY: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
STARRING: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, Topher Grace, Elle Young
YOUR REVIEWERS
Marco Noyola (Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Audio Editor)
By day, Marco is a mild-mannered office worker, but by night he is a mild-mannered movie watcher. He does other mild-mannered stuff too.
“You don’t need to follow me. You don’t need to follow anybody!”
Mike J. McAllister (Screener Squad, Staff Writer, Head Video Editor)
Mike J. McAllister is a filmmaker, editor, writer and animator. He is also a film junkie, dog lover and Surge-aholic (Hi, Mike). He grew up in a small town in Western Pennsylvania, where he earned the reputation as the “human IMDb” and was on a first-name basis with every video store clerk in town. He later studied film in Pittsburgh. He has since written several unproduced screenplays and TV pilots. He has also produced a number of short films, some of which have appeared in festivals across the country. He is a ninja with Final Cut Pro and is armed with a mind full of mostly useless pop-culture trivia. He also enjoys animation, MST3K, classic video games and being the “music geek” among his friends (which really just means he buys vinyl and listens to music that doesn’t come from an anime soundtrack). He resides in Austin, Texas, and can be followed on the Instamagrams at @ohheyitsmikejm.
Frank Calvillo (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)
Born and raised in South Texas, Frank currently lives in Austin and has been in love with movies ever since his father showed him some Three Stooges shorts when he was five years old. Today he loves all kinds of film, regardless of era, country, budget or genre. He believes every film has an audience and is at least one person’s favorite movie. After writing for Sight & Sound and Slackerwood, he now writes for Cinapse where his increasingly random taste in all flavors of cinema (from Rashomon to Mars Attacks!) continues to thrive. His ultimate goal is to write a script for his boyhood crush, Michelle Pfeiffer.
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