Heretic Cast Reveal Working on A24 Horror Film “Reaffirmed” Their Religious Beliefs

Heretic has been generating buzz now that it’s become clearer that the film is a religious debate dressed in the skin of a horror thriller. Indeed, the principal cast of Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets), Chloe East (Generation), and Hugh Grant (as the sinister Mr. Reed) get into some pretty hot-button takes on religion, faith, and the power it has over people. And yet, it may surprise some fans to learn that the cast of Heretic found their own beliefs re-affirmed by making the film, not shaken.

“It brought up a lot of … we both grew up Mormon,” Thatcher explained about her and East’s backgrounds. “I learned a lot about earlier religions, so I think that’s interesting: to learn that a lot of religions are just re-iterations of the same story. So that was interesting.”

“But yeah, I’ve always been kind of agnostic,” Thatcher admitted, “So this kind of re-affirmed my belief.”

“I feel like I know basic knowledge about Mormonism and the points that people say that Mr. Reed points out, but Sister Barnes [Thatcher’s character] counters; every single argument about Mormonism and religion. So I was always aware of that — it wasn’t a cop-out, like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that!’ But of course, there were other things [to learn],” East said, explaining her experience with the film. “But I think if anything, I was more relating to the characters or even [my character Sister] Paxton — I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m definitely not Paxton.’ But then as the movie went on I had more sympathy, and I just was like, ‘Wait… do I feel like Paxton?’ I don’t know: maybe I’m more like her than I like to believe — without seeming too corny.”

What Is Heretic About?

Synopsis: When two missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) attempt to convert a reclusive Englishman named Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), it turns out to be far more dangerous than they could have expected.

In ComicBook’s Heretic review, critic Patrick Cavanaugh writes that, “If nothing else, Heretic entirely succeeds at delivering audiences something they’ve never quite seen from filmmakers Beck and Woods or Hugh Grant before. For that alone, the film is fully worth experiencing, and while the questions it presents about organized religion and belief might not feel entirely new to virtually anyone who’s ever personally grappled with those ideas, it’s admirable that the film is at least attempting to say anything at all… we’ll take a thought-provoking genre film over a superficial slasher that emphasizes shock over sophistication any day of the week.”

Heretic will be in theaters on Friday.