Stream of the Day
Horror movie traps
the truth
In ‘Heretic’, two missionaries must prove their faith after being ensnared in a deadly game.
In the horror movie Heretic, two young Mormon missionaries enter the home of a reclusive man, Mr Reed, unaware that they are walking into a sinister trap. He invites them inside under the pretext of offering hospitality, but their conversation about faith quickly takes an unsettling turn.
When the pair, Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, realise the front door is locked and their phones have no signal, it becomes clear they have walked into danger. Reed forces them into a twisted test of belief, claiming to have discovered the one true religion.
As the missionaries are subjected to psychological and physical torment, they begin to unravel the horrifying truth behind Reed’s manipulations. Their faith and survival instincts are pushed to the limit in a tense, claustrophobic battle against a man determined to prove his own warped ideology.
Heretic is streaming on Showmax from today (13 March 2025).
The Mormon sisters, Barnes and Paxton, are played by Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) and Chloe East (The Fabelmans).
Photo supplied
Hugh Grant, starring as Mr Reed, has been nominated for Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Critics Choice awards for the role. Grant is better known for his romantic characters in comedies like Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral, About a Boy, and Notting Hill. However, in Heretic, he takes on a character defined by eccentricity and menace.
The movie is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the writers of A Quiet Place. The duo was up for Best Screenplay at the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
