A24’s religious horror movie Heretic had its Toronto International Film Festival premiere earlier this month, and Screen Rant was on hand to speak with the minds behind the story. Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who are best known as the creators of A Quiet Place, the movie follows two young Mormon women whose lives are changed forever when they enter the home of a seemingly polite yet ultimately very strange man.
Heretic stars The Fabelmans‘ Chloe East as Sister Paxton and Sophie Thatcher as Sister Barnes, who are going door to door preaching about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when they are invited inside by Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant). While he seems hospitable at first, engaging them in fascinating theological debate, things soon take a turn for the frightening when he refuses to let them leave.
Screen Rant interviewed the stars and directors of Heretic on the TIFF 2024 red carpet, discussing questions of faith and philosophy that went into the making of the horror film. Beck and Woods also shared their take on A Quiet Place sequels, while Grant hinted at a very interesting Bridget Jones theory and Thatcher answered her first question about Yellowjackets season 3.
Heretic Filmmakers Address The Possibility Of Returning To The World Of A Quiet Place
“We love sequels and remakes as much as anyone, but…”
Screen Rant: I’m so excited for Heretic, and the trailer alone had me on the edge of my seat. And, of course, your pedigree speaks for itself. At what point in your process do you know you have a hit on your hands?
Scott Beck: I don’t know. It’s one of those things where I think there’s two of us, and so we used the shared brain to try and pressure test any idea we have. Whether it’s A Quiet Place, which was an idea that was stuck in a drawer for a long time, and we pulled it out and were like, “I still feel like there’s something there,” or Heretic, where it’s a movie that was based on conversations that we had over the course of decades about religion and the occult. What happens when you die? I think for us it’s always about a sticky idea that sticks around.
Bryan Woods: Yeah, this one is about all of our deepest, darkest fears as it relates to what happens when we die, and our anxiety about the fact that there are so many different religions on planet Earth, many of which are beautiful. And this kind of lingering question of, “What is the one true religion, and what does it mean to believe or not believe?”
The movie’s examining all of these things. It’s a conversation about these things that are really meaningful to us, and we’re just so grateful that we had this amazing cast come together because they were so in tune with the conversation. We just couldn’t be happier.
Screen Rant: With A Quiet Place, you’ve set a whole universe in motion. Is that a world you’d ever return to with your own pen, or are you letting it grow on its own?
Scott Beck: That’s a great question. I mean, I would never rule it out, but at the same time, I think what we’re always invigorated by is finding the next original story.
Before A Quiet Place was born
, we were so excited to be able to tell the story of a family in the Heartland where we’re from, from Iowa. And Heretic was born from that same instinct.While there could always be an option, there are so many ideas that we’re excited about that are original.
Bryan Woods: Yeah, we love sequels and remakes as much as anyone, but we kind of miss that era of movie-going where the big hit movies of every year were these things you had never heard of before. It’s such a privilege to be able to create something and throw new ideas against the wall. The studio that made Heretic, A24, is so amazing at taking big swings and investing in original ideas. They’re just amazing apartments.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Hugh Grant Reveals The Theological Debates That Surprised Him Most In Heretic
“A lot of the basic tenets of Christianity were not really new.”
Screen Rant: I know there’s a lot of heavy theological debate in Heretic, and there seems to have been a lot of real-life consideration of Mormonism. Was there anything that surprised you most or that you found most interesting when it came to the religious aspect?
Hugh Grant: There were some arguments my character makes in this film that were new to me. The guys who wrote and directed it came up with some fascinating research about the fact that a lot of the basic tenets of Christianity were not really new. Saviors born of a virgin baptized in rivers that performed miracles had actually been around in many religions and cults for thousands of years before Christ came along. I was very interested by that.
Screen Rant: I’m also very excited about Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. How does it feel to have another shot at Bridget without Mark Darcy around?
Hugh Grant: I’m not convinced that he’s not in it. I think they’re hiding something.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Heretic’s Chloe East Praises Hugh Grant As Costar & Mentor
“He was just always there and present and always connected.”
Screen Rant: This movie deals with Mormonism, but some very real-world research has gone into it What was it like stepping into a character so close to you?
Chloe East: So many times you see Mormon missionaries in movies as the butt of the joke, not real humans. I really wanted to represent a real sister missionary. I had friends on missions while we were shooting, and I was texting them like, “Is this accurate? Is this accurate? Give me a scripture to read.” And so, I almost felt responsible. I wanted to protect the missionaries out there. I just wanted a really true depiction.
This movie took me on a ride, on a ride. It was the most exhausting movie I’ve ever done. Mentally, physically… But everything was so worth it because I’ve seen the movie. I love the movie, but it was tough.
Screen Rant: How tough was it working opposite Hugh Grant? I imagine that’s a bit of an awe-inspiring moment.
Chloe East: Yes, he was amazing. He really is amazing. Such a talented actor. Obviously, I don’t even need to say that, but it was really nice to not have to force anything. He was just always there and present and always connected, and so you didn’t really have to worry about the scene or really beating off of anything. It was just there. And you could focus on where the script is and what our characters are trying to say.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Heretic Star Sophie Thatcher Teases Yellowjackets Season 3 Without Juliette Lewis
“There’s just this darkness, and an empty void, which is really sad.”
Screen Rant: What was your way into Sister Barnes and her relationship to her faith?
Sophie Thatcher: It was interesting. Sister Barnes feels like a younger version of myself. I felt a lot more shy and a little bit more reserved, so it was kind of tapping into a younger version of myself, but then also the normal character work that you do with any [role]. Because it’s been a while. It’s been like 10 years since I was that age, but a lot of my family is still Mormon, so I was just asking a lot of questions.
Chloe, who’s my co-star, has a lot of friends who are still Mormon, so it was just about keeping tabs and figuring out what is the most realistic portrayal without it being a caricature or a joke.
Screen Rant: What was your favorite memory from set, with or without Hug Grant?
Sophie Thatcher: I’m going to say my favorite memory. We talk about Taco Bell in the movie, and I love Taco Bell. I have this monologue about Taco Bell – a very dramatic monologue – and the directors brought Taco Bell. I was like, “Oh, that’s such a sweet thing. Of course you did.” I mean, it was a very sweet moment. It was a very full turnaround.
Screen Rant: I’m also excited for season 3 of Yellowjackets. How does it feel, for you as an actor, to play young Natalie when we now know what occurs to her?
Sophie Thatcher: Yeah, that’s interesting. I haven’t been asked that yet. I haven’t done press for Yellowjackets yet.
It feels like there’s freedom to it. I feel like there’s an inherent darkness, even though it wasn’t her killing herself. There’s just this darkness, and an empty void, which is really sad. But Juliette [Lewis] is always in the back of my mind and kind of in me at this point. I’ve done it for two seasons, so it feels like – it sounds crazy – but she’s in me.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
More About Heretic (2024)
Sister Paxton (Chloe East, TIFF ’22’s The Fabelmans) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher, Yellowjackets) are cheerfully going about their mission to spread good news about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Working down a list of doors to knock on, they arrive at the quiet suburban house of Mr. Reed (Grant), who seems not only polite and hospitable but also genuinely fascinated by the history and teachings of Mormonism.
In fact, Mr. Reed is quite knowledgeable about all the world’s major religions and is eager to discuss them with the women. Perhaps too eager. With the rain coming down outside and Mr. Reed’s wife making pie in the next room, the setting is utterly cozy. The only thing that could spoil it would be if Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes wanted to leave.
Check out our other TIFF 2024 interviews here:
Heretic
premiered at TIFF on September 8 and arrives in theaters on November 8.
