2024, Scott Beck, Bryan Woods (65) -- download
Two young Mormon girls get stuck inside a very oddly constructed house, as intellectual playthings for a strange man who wants them to question their faith.
This movie was as well constructed as the house they were imprisoned within. Whether you think the plot worked or not, one could not deny how well built everything was, from the dialogue, to the imagery to the lighting and cinematography. After a season, or more likely a year, of seeing terrible and tepid, it was just nice to absorb this.
Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher, Companion) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East, The Wolf of Snow Hollow) are two inquisitive, thoughtful and devoted members of their Church (of Latter Day Saints). Their final "investigator" (someone who has professed an interest in the LDS) is Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant, Love Actually) who lives in an isolated house at the end of an isolated street. He invites them in, assuring them that his wife is upstairs and will be down shortly to serve them blueberry pie. They shouldn't be alone with Mr. Reed but he is charming, disarming and charismatic. He immediately drops into an interrogative, inquisitive line of questioning. He offers them Coca-Cola, knowing they cannot have caffeine. Paxton is amazed at his knowledge of Mormonism, while Barnes seems hesitant, more worldly, less trusting.
There is no Mrs. Reed, there is no pie, and there is no escape. There is just Mr. Reed and his own mission, to have the girls question their own faith as he lays out a long dialogue about the position and purpose of religion in the world. I love every moment of these scenes, from the construction, semi-temple-like, of the room, to the colour-tones, to how he lays out the holy tomes and Monopoly games. I do like me some creative precision. Even his presentation is precisely faulty, as Barnes angrily points out, while Paxton just wishes to capitulate and escape.
He claims he wants them to question their belief and in doing so, choose a door through which to leave. Both doors lead to a cold, crudely constructed basement - a ragged metaphor. Once they are aware they are thoroughly trapped down there, Reed introduces his "prophet", a woman in rags & gray skin, and the blueberry pie. And death, and a simulacrum of a miraculous resurrection. But as Barnes angrily points out, its all smoke & mirrors, magic tricks, a weak attempt to deceive them. And just as she is about to equally direct Paxton to attack Reed, he cuts her throat. She bleeds out in front of Paxton who responds like a switch has been thrown; gone is the meek, frightened girl and the thoughtful, angry one emerges, a side of her that she usually demurred to Barnes. She not only challenges Reed's little act but beats him at it, disappearing into his sub-basement that winds its way down and around, his own little play on Dante's Inferno. At the very least, you cannot fault Reed for being a creative mind. Her journey ends in a room with more of his "prophets", other women he has captured and "converted" into shades in cages. He thinks he has her, that she will be his next, but no, not at all. She stabs him in the throat and runs off.
But of course, a horror movie cannot have its villain go down so easy. He once again corners her, stabbing her in the belly and as he is about to ... crunch, the earlier alluded to pointy stick full of rusty nails is slammed into his head by the ashen grey Barnes, a proper miracle to save her friend, before she falls into her own endless sleep. Paxton can escape.
If ever a movie demanded one of those stupid click-baity videos or articles of "Ending of 'Heretic' Explained" its this movie. You see, there is a seemingly toss away plot point, a quick jaunt left of centre, where Reed claims this has never been about proving whether the girls have faith or not, but whether they can break the simulation -- you know, that conspiracy theory that we are all in a great simulation. His proof comes when he cuts out Barnes's birth control implant (LARC) and presents it as a marker for an NPC in this simulation. Its ridiculous, its him grasping at straws as the girls disassemble his little play. Paxton has had enough and dismisses it entirely, buuuuut after she escapes, she emerges into a verdant field covered in last night's snow fall, either an early autumn storm or a late spring one. An unearthly beautiful field, and a butterfly lands on her fingers, recollecting her own professed desire to come back as a butterfly and follow her loved ones about. Then it glitches and the snow & butterfly are gone.
There are a number of ways you could go. Was it all actually a simulation, another iteration of something played out again and again? Was this proof that Paxton was actually a prophet and Barnes, her angel of belief? Or crazy man and survivor hallucinations. I like the idea that as Reed was fucking with them, the directors/writers are fucking with us.
Good movie.
I noticed an odd trend for Amazon. Soon after digital release, Amazon posts the movie in their catalog, but then in a rather short period after, quietly removes it, redirecting you to their partner subscriptions instead. Stupid capitalism.
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