A24's latest twisty, twisted chiller, Heretic, is now in theatres, and we're breaking down what happens in the final act of the critically-acclaimed horror flick.
Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who broke through with their script for John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place, Heretic stars Hugh Grant as Mr. Reed, who has some fiendish plans for Mormon missionaries Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) who come calling.
Initially wary of coming inside the house, the girls feel more at ease when Reed tells them that his wife is at home and currently baking a pie in the kitchen. Alarm bells go off when one of them notices a blueberry pie scented candle burning on the table, and Reed's mask begins to slip.
Reed tells his prisoners that they he "won’t keep you if you wish to leave, but I want you to choose which door to go through based on your faith.” He then writes “BELIEF” and “DISBELIEF” on two doorways, and makes his "guests" choose.
The trailers have only dropped some vague hints about what happens next, so beware of major spoilers from this point on.
After some arguments, both girls decide to go through the belief door, which Reed tells them will lead to an understanding of the "one true religion." They encounter a decrepit old woman, who Reed claims is a prophet. She eats some poisoned pie, dies, and seemingly resurrects to give her account of the afterlife.
This is revealed to be a ruse orchestrated by Reed, however, who is keeping multiple women locked in cages for the purposes of perpetuating the prophet deception.
The one true religion is control, he explains.
When Barnes begins to protest, Reed suddenly slashes her throat, promising that she, too, will come back to life. When she doesn't, he cuts a contraceptive device from her arm and tells Paxton that her friend didn't resurrect because she's an artificial person. Paxton now fully sees through Reed's lies, stabbing him with a concealed letter opener. He responds by stabbing Paxton in the stomach.
Paxton begins to pray as they both lie bleeding out together, but before Reed can finish her off, Barnes finally manages to kill their captor by plunging a plank of wood with nails into his head. Barnes succumbs to her wound, and Paxton escapes. It's snowing outside, and a butterfly lands on her hand before disappearing.
There's a lot here that's left ambiguous. Did Barnes "resurrect," or did Paxton die and enter the afterlife, where her friend was waiting as an angel? This would explain the snowy streets and the butterfly, but the movie doesn't provide any definitive answers.
Did you see Heretic yet? If so, what did you make of the ending? Let us know in the comments section.
"Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse."
The cast also features Elle McKinnon, River Codack, Carolyn Adair, Stephanie Lavigne and Elle Young. Along with Beck and Woods, producers include Katie Aquino, Scott Beck, Liliane Bedford, Julia Glausi, Kai Raka, Stacey Sher and Jeanette Volturno.