I was pretty much sold on this horror film when it was described as an atheist haranguing in a reversal of the usual dynamic. The titular heretic is as charming and loquacious as you could hope for, played brilliantly by Hugh Grant. The religious arguments are superficial but a lot fun and the whole script is written with plenty of Internet-savvy humor. As with all horror films, the setup is way more interesting than the answers at the end but I’d still rate this as a great effort.

Two young Mormon missionaries, Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes, are assigned by their elders to follow up on those who have expressed interest in the church. One of the names on their list is that of Mr. Reed, an older British man who lives in a strange house. Though Reed seems affable, the two girls adhere to their rules of conduct and insist that they are not allowed to enter his home unless there is a woman living with him. Reed tells them that he is married and his wife is preparing blueberry pie in the kitchen. In the living room, the three of them begin discussing religion and the girls are surprised to realize that Reed appears to be very knowledgeable about the history of the Mormon church. They grow increasingly worried when Reed’s so-called wife fails to make an appearance. They try to open the front door when he steps out of the room only to find that it has been locked by some kind of complex mechanism. Following him deeper into the house, they see that it has been redecorated to resemble both a library and a church. There Reed gives them a lecture about how Mormonism is just another iteration of countless other religions. When they ask to leave, he shows them two doors, one he marks with ‘Belief’, the other with ‘Disbelief’ and asks them to choose.

With only these three characters and the house as their stage, this film is tiny in scale and so everything hinges on their dynamics. Reed is obviously meant as a sinister version of Richard Dawkins as they keep his identity as a British gentleman who is for some reason living in Utah or somewhere similar. The two young sisters are markedly different in temperament. Sister Paxton grew up in the church and so is more openly earnest and seemingly innocent. Sister Barnes is the more worldly and suspicious of the two. Where Paxton is intimidated by Reed’s confident tirades, Barnes is willing to challenge his claims and question his motives. What’s so fun about this setup is that Reed never seems like a real physical threat and he is able to give superficially plausible explanations for his eccentric behavior. Neither of the two girls are stupid but they still visibly struggle to confront him too directly because it might seem impolite. Eventually all pretenses are torn down and things get bloody, but the buildup is deliciously slow and tense.

Reed’s arguments against religion are the usual ones anyone who has spent time debating these topics on the Internet will recognize. They’re convincing enough on the surface but not actually that rigorous. What really amuses is how he freely draws on other sources to illustrate and buttress his arguments, from plagiarism of songs to a deep dive into the history of the Monopoly boardgame. It’s dumb but I got a real kick out of his referencing Jar Jar Binks as some sort of dark god and expounding upon simulation theory. It’s not much of a shock that the truth of what Reed really believes in is far less original and entertaining but that’s just how this genre works. It’s a silly too how Sister Paxton morphs into an action girl but it keeps the story flowing.

Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods set out to offer a popcorn movie version of an atheist’s typical ant-religious tirades so that’s exactly what we get. It’s such a clever concept that it’s almost a shame that it has to be a horror movie as there is no way that Reed could get away with his little house of horrors for any length of time. Still, the visuals are good, the performances excellent and the pseudo-religious polemics fun while it lasts.