Heretic ending explained: Full spoilers for Hugh Grant horror film

As a seasoned film enthusiast who’s seen more movies than I care to count, I must say that “Heretic” has left quite an impression on me. The narrative is a twisted labyrinth of control, faith, and survival, with Hugh Grant delivering a chilling performance as the manipulative Mr. Reed.

In the heartwarming film Paddington 2, Hugh Grant demonstrated his knack for portraying cunning villains. Yet, in the upcoming horror movie Heretic, he delves deeper into sinister characters, potentially presenting his darkest role to date.

In this movie, titled “A Quiet Place,” written and directed by the duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the protagonist, played by an unspecified actor, assumes the role of Mr. Reed. This character initially appears as a pleasant and innocuous individual. Subsequently, he encounters two Mormon missionaries in his home, having hinted at being receptive to their religious persuasion.

After Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) arrive at his house, it soon becomes evident that he harbors a hidden intention. He acts strangely and seems hesitant to present them to his wife, who he claims is in the adjacent room, and before long, he starts delivering dramatic lectures on religion using somewhat unusual examples.

As sisters Barnes and Paxton grow more anxious over his plans and their chances of a successful escape, the air thickens with suspense until some surprising plot twists catch everyone off guard towards the end.

If you’ve watched the movie and could use a refresher on the final scenes, keep reading for an explanation of how The Heretic concludes.

Heretic ending explained: Full spoilers for Hugh Grant horror film

In our conversation with Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, I couldn’t help but realize that my intentions regarding embracing Mormonism were merely a clever ruse all along. Instead, it was I who had skillfully set a trap for them, biding my time to unveil something unexpected.

Despite him constantly insisting there’s nothing suspicious about the situation, his actions seem to contradict this claim. For instance, it turns out his wife isn’t real at all; he had merely placed a blueberry pie-scented candle on the table to make his deception that she was baking in another room appear more convincing.

As the missionaries grapple with an increasingly perplexing predicament, he persists in his discourse about faith, asserting all religions are mere shams – except for one, which he enigmatically refers to as “the genuine religion.” He employs comparisons drawn from various sources such as Monopoly, Star Wars, and Radiohead’s Creep, to illustrate that many religions have essentially been replicated from one another.

Ultimately, when he made it clear that there was only one way out of the house, he presented them with a choice: Two doorways to pass through – one intended for those who continue to hold onto their Mormon beliefs, and the other meant for those ready to acknowledge his veracity.

In a move presumably considered as the most suitable solution, Sister Paxton elects to proceed through the skepticism-labeled doorway. However, Sister Barnes declines to accompany her and instead challenges some of Mr Reed’s arguments. As a result, both women eventually choose the faith doorway.

Things start getting strangely unusual here. The door opens to a dimly-lit basement, and as they descend the stairway, they come across a very worn-out elderly woman. Mr. Reed informs them that she possesses prophetic abilities and has the power to perform miracles.

As a movie buff, I’d rephrase it like this: I give her a delicious blueberry pie, but secretly laced with poison. After she takes a bite, she collapses right in front of Barnes and Paxton. But here’s the twist – I inform them that she will rise again, coming back to life so she can share what she witnessed during her brief stint on the other side.

Heretic ending explained: Full spoilers for Hugh Grant horror film

Currently, there’s a ding from the doorbell. Mr. Reed heads over to check who it is, only to discover that the Mormon elder has dropped by, inquiring about the missionaries as they hadn’t returned as expected.

Unfortunately, he finds Mr Reed’s assertions that he hasn’t encountered them convincing, which stalls any potential rescue efforts. Meanwhile, while he was gone, Barnes and Paxton brainstormed alternative escape plans and succeeded in obtaining matches, attempting to ignite a fire and generate smoke signals as a distress call, hoping someone would notice they’re trapped.

Meanwhile, an elderly lady emerges from nowhere, behaving as Mr. Reed predicted, recounting her experience of seeing clouds and angels while being deceased. She then hints enigmatically that “it wasn’t genuine.

Subsequently, Reed returns to the basement, engaging in a heated dispute with Barnes and Paxton. In an unexpected move, he swiftly draws a knife and slashes Barnes’s throat, leading many to believe she has perished. However, Reed asserts that this act will result in another miracle, and Barnes will rise again, much like the supposed prophet.

If it seems like something isn’t occurring, he instead slashes her arm, retrieving a piece of metal which he alleges disproves that Sister Barnes truly existed and that our world is merely a simulation. He then informs Paxton that the sole means for her to break free from the simulation is by taking her own life, as she is genuine, and this act will transport her back to the authentic world.

However, Paxton remains unconvinced. She proposes that the metal object might serve as a contraceptive, and suspects Reed is merely concocting an explanation because some aspect of his plan has faltered. Simultaneously, she presents her own hypothesis on how he managed the prophecy trick…

What was Mr Reed’s plan?

Paxton clarifies that Reed swapped the deceased woman, leveraging the diversion from the doorbell as part of his strategy, to convince another woman to remove the corpse and mimic its position. Afterward, this second woman read a script about existence beyond life, which Reed had prepared for her.

Instead of sticking to the script, her comments about it not being genuine made Reed need to improvise the simulation aspect of his plan. Later on, Paxton stumbled upon a hatch that led to another cellar. Curiosity leading her, she went down there and uncovered a room filled with women who resembled the prophet, all kept in cages.

Later on, Mr. Reed catches up to her and queries if she’s figured out which religion is truly valid. She confirms that she has: it’s ‘control’. He had strategically orchestrated each step, except for the simulation part, to guide her to this point, intending to demonstrate his ability to manipulate anyone, much like every religion does.

In the course of his ongoing explanation, Paxton suddenly plunges a letter opener into him and flees back to the original basement. Meanwhile, Barnes appears to be dead, so she approaches him to verify, but before she can do so, the injured Mr. Reed reemerges and stabs her in the abdomen. She collapses onto the ground and begins to pray, as Reed advances towards her – seemingly with the intent to slit her throat and end her life.

However, at the moment he’s preparing to attack, there comes a surprise blow to his head from behind, causing him to collapse and perish. Interestingly, it was discovered that Barnes wasn’t actually deceased yet, thereby extending Paxton’s life through her selfless last action before she also succumbed to death.

Heretic ending explained: Full spoilers for Hugh Grant horror film

Afterward, Paxton heads back to Mr. Reed’s study and, fortunately, locates an exit via a window. Upon stepping out, she encounters a wintry landscape blanketed in snow. The closing shot depicts a butterfly alighting gently on her palm.

As a devoted admirer, I must say that the movie leaves some aspects ambiguous, refraining from making clear-cut pronouncements about faith, much like Mr. Reed himself. Nevertheless, the climactic scenes can be interpreted as an extraordinary event – a miracle, if you will. In these moments, Barnes miraculously hangs on to life, giving her friend that precious chance for survival.

A possible rephrase could be: Another perspective is that Paxton was indeed slain by Mr Reed, and the final scene shows her entering the afterlife. The snow-covered ground symbolizes the clouds mentioned by the prophet before, while Barnes’ return signifies an angel. Just as with faith, it’s up to each viewer to choose the interpretation that resonates most with them.

It’s worth noting that Hugh Grant recently disclosed that he filmed two distinct conclusions for Mr. Reed. Speaking with Games Radar, he explained: “There’s a scene where I drag myself across the floor after being stabbed, and I performed it in two ways. One version portrays him still trying to maintain a sense of humor, as he had been attempting to make the entire evening amusing. He’s essentially saying, ‘Check this out, dying is fun.’

Then, in another instance, all his protective barriers crumble, leaving him petrified and convinced of his impending demise. He yearns for solace and seeks her to provide it, possibly through a soothing prayer.

He commented: “I’m not completely sure about how they edited it, whether they aimed for one of the two performances or both. I believe it’s the latter. However, I know they significantly shortened the last 20 minutes, as the film was running too long, so it might not be entirely clear. I prefer the second version, where after an hour and a half of this character having full control, he suddenly becomes a frightened rabbit.

Heretic is now showing in UK cinemas.

2024-11-01 16:36

Heretic ending explained: Full spoilers for Hugh Grant horror film

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