Heretic

Heretic is the most original religious horror film in recent memory.

One could also classify it as psychological thriller or suspense. I would argue the film is beyond classifying. I refused any spoilers before seeing it in theaters and I’m glad for that. I’ll avoid writing spoilers here.

Two Mormon missionaries, played brilliantly by Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher, are invited into the home of Mr. Reed, a stranger apparently interested in the Book of Mormon, but with secretive plans for them (plans that do not involve them leaving). They enter the house despite not seeing a Mrs. Reed; a woman needs to be present for them to go inside, they tell Mr. Reed. “She’s in the kitchen baking blueberry pie,” he insists, and they fall for the lie.

Hugh Grant plays off-type as Mr. Reed and is perfect for the role. His charming smile and pleasant demeanor give him an air of harmlessness that this type of villain requires.

Grant deserves an Oscar for this one. He’s both captivating and abhorrent, two qualities the role requires, and he chews every line of dialogue with expertise. You simultaneously want to listen to more of his philosophy and see him brought to justice.

I won’t ruin what happens other than to say that I didn’t expect any of the ensuing twists and turns. Horror films are often victim of a weak third act, but this film’s finale will have people talking for awhile.

Unlike other horror films centered around a victim in captivity like Saw, I appreciated that this one has protagonists who are worthy intellectual adversaries to the villain. I don’t enjoy horror where the villain seems to constantly have the upper-hand, so much so that every other character is nothing more than a pawn on his board to be easily knocked off. This one is more a game of cat-and-mouse in which both sides are deeply challenged.

The violence is also more purposeful than most R-rated horror films. I’ve written before that I don’t like violence for the sake of violence. This film selects its violent scenes carefully, so that they enhance the theme of the film.

Best horror film of the year in this blogger’s opinion. 10/10

The Boy and the Heron

The Boy and the Heron is billed as Miyazaki’s final film. If it truly is it’s a great way to go out.

The film is equal parts autobiography and fantasy. A Japanese boy loses his mother during World War 2 in Japan, and moves with his father to a more rural part of the country, to live with his aunt, who is now pregnant with his soon-to-be half-sister (I hope I got that right).

A talking heron torments the boy and the aunt goes missing (did the heron take her away?). The boy wanders to a mysterious abandoned tower and into another world that seems to be a blend of living and dead souls. Is it the afterlife? Another dimension? The heron claims his mother is alive, and she resides within this world.

Some incredible sequences and visually arresting animation ensue, and the fate of several worlds is at stake.

Miyazaki is obviously a master storyteller and in my opinion, this is his best film since Spirited Away. It’s a film about life, loss, and ultimately a meditation on death. Plenty of Hollywood stars voice the characters, including Christian Bale as the boy’s father.

Narratively the final act felt like an exercise in surrealism, and I was okay with that because I was so engrossed in what I was watching.

I’ll never look at a parakeet the same way again after this movie.

9/10

Dream Scenario

Nicolas Cage stars in this surprisingly quiet and melancholy comedy.

While I was expecting quick and punchy SNL-style humor after reading that the film also features Tim Meadows and Michael Cera, this film is dark, contemplative, and slow-paced, with humor also sprinkled throughout an otherwise cerebral piece.

Nicolas Cage turns in an Oscar-worthy performance as an ordinary professor who starts appearing in the dreams of everyone around the world, causing him to gain social media fame and become a part of meme culture.

When Cage is on, he’s legendary, and this film ranks among his best performances.

It’s a well-acted and well-scripted film that takes some unexpected turns and has something to say about the modern desire to “go viral.” I’ve always been a Cage fan because I like someone who is utterly unpredictable and willing to take risks.

9/10

The Boogeyman

A Formulaic Script Ruins a Scary Premise

I wanted to like The Boogeyman (2023). The monster, or demon, or whatever it may be, is the villain in a timeless bedtime story that convinced me to avoid staying up too late when I was a kid. I read the Stephen King short story in college and expected the movie to be similar in plot. There are parallels, but the movie is very much a “Hollywoodized” version.

The movie could have been a dozen other horror films, albeit with a different title. There are jump scares aplenty, sure, but they’re all jump scares I’ve seen countless variations of, and in far superior films. The monster, if that’s what it actually is, still emerges from closets at night to “take” the children who can see it, unbeknownst to skeptical parents who refuse to believe there are supernatural forces going bump in the night.

The premise is promising, but the film falls flat. At the end of the film (spoiler alert) we find out that the boogeyman is just another cgi monster that can be killed with a match and some gasoline.

This is a by-the-numbers horror film that is content to stick to tropes.

5/10