Heretic is a tough one for me to review. It’s basically someone’s philosophical screed shaped awkwardly into a horror movie… and I like horror movies and I like philosophical movies. But this film did it poorly… but in that it did it at all is kind of cool.

It’s about two Mormon girls doing their outreach thing. But one residence contains a wild Hugh Grant whose oily charm and big grin houses an ulterior motive. And multiple copies of a board game board gamers hate (Monopoly is the real horror of this movie).

This is a very talky horror flick that I was all in for as I reasoned and deduced my way through its opening act. What game was High Grant playing? Would these two young ladies see through it in time? And the longer the red flag waving conversation went, the more I was drawn in.

But the film reaches a point where I glanced at my watch… and then when the shoes started to drop, it felt like baby’s first philosophical debate. It grew too on-the-nose… but that’s, perhaps, because I’ve heard these arguments and angles before. I felt like I was being preached to (philosophically) over something I was already agreeing with. C’mon, get to the deeper point… there is a deeper point, right?

But I had to mentally pause and reminds myself, ok, sure maybe not everyone has heard similar arguments before. Maybe this is a real mind blower for some of the audience. So I was constantly arguing with myself between someone’s Philosophy 101 thesis and the fact they were making the argument in a major theatrical release at all.

On the other hand, it’s well acted. Hugh Grant is a master at his subtle charming sleaze thing and the two ladies bring different auras to their good girl characters. They were written smart enough to see through his arguments… though maybe just enough to play straw men to the screenwriter’s philosophy.

The sick, sad thing is, I don’t disagree with any of this. It’s ultimate message stands firm in my brain. And it doesn’t mean any of this will bother a less persnickety audience member. Maybe this is the first time you’ve heard these arguments or maybe you don’t care and just love the acting and the tension. It’s a pretty good spooky flick under all the chatter and maybe I can just be more zen and let it slide. It’s better than not having the debate and its better than the zillionth possession movie.

Score: 79