Anyonewho sawHereticthis weekendhas probably been unable to shake it.
It almost demands a deeper discussion of what happened and how the film got there.
Were happy to oblige.
Let’s sit down and talk Heretic spoilers.© A24
Recently, io9 spoke with the writers and directors ofHeretic, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.
Below though, we dive deep into thoseHereticspoilers.
We talk about how and when they came up with several elements of the ending.
Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, the directors and writers ofHeretic– Kimberley French
We discuss that unforgettableMonopolyscene.
And youll never guess where that pointedBook of Mormonjoke came from.
Read about all that and more below.
Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, the directors and writers ofHeretic– Kimberley French
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
He has the answer and its that control is the only real religion.
But Im wondering, when did you guys come up with that answer?
Beck and Woods with co-star Chloe East. Image: A24
Was it before or as you were writing?
Bryan Woods:We dont outline the whole movie and then start writing.
We outline as we go.
Hugh Grant inHeretic. Image: A24
So before we started writing, we wouldnt have had that answer that youre asking about.
But by the time we were about 20 pages in, we would have had that answer.
Were asking ourselves, How do we feel about religion?
What does religion mean to us?
We literally cannot wait.
This tool of, you know, Reeds drum-rolling this big reveal.
Whats it gonna be?
Whats it gonna be?
And as filmmakers, were leaning into it?
Were doing all these things.
Its that question were playing with throughout the movie.
We definitely knew that we were driving towards that because we had to.
Every single line of dialogue, we dont want to waste anything.
If theyre I saw your TED talk once, Im good, we totally get that.
io9: I thought that might be the case and now I definitely want to see it again.
When and how did you come up with that?
Woods:Thats a funny comparison.
Did you say [Christopher Nolans]The Prestige?
Woods:Thats funny.
We never really thought about it like that.
But we love that movie so maybe its subconscious.
And you realize, Oh, theres a degree of misogyny that exists here.
io9: Oh thats so cool.
Are you guys just fans?
Was there any thought behind it?
Tell me how that got in there.
Woods:Honestly, you know what?
Its more organic than that.
Its from us knowing Mormons and Mormon missionaries.
And that was an observed line.
They had this kind of very human, kind of inflicted response to it.
And it was interesting watching them navigate that.
A lot of our dialogue comes from real life.
Were constantly writing random things down that we hear.
Like that moment in the movie where Reed mishears blueberry disease.
She says Lou Gehrigs disease and hes like, Blueberry disease?
That was something that actually happened in our life at a dinner.
Were just like, Oh, my God, the funniest, awkward, mortifying moment.
io9: Is that where this board game comparison comes from?
Because we talked about research before and thatMonopolyscene seems like a whole other level.
Youre expecting something nefarious.
How am I going to get out of here?
as hes spouting on and on.
And I think the parallel that we loved ofMonopolyis that its an iteration ofThe Landlords Game.
This game that, to a certain degree for mass culture, has been forgotten.
And now thats all that we know.
io9: Yeah, that was it was fantastic.
Im also curious, how much backstory did you come up with for Mr. Reed?
Like in your mind, has he done this before?
Tell me a little bit about that, and also if that even matters.
I mean, we talked about a lot about the broad strokes.
Like Mr. Reeds probably not his name.
This probably isnt necessarily the house he actually lives in.
He has a hypothesis that religion is about control and hes testing that hypothesis.
Another thing we talked a lot about with Hugh is that Reed has kind of decision trees.
But things could go south at any moment.
Its just that Barnes was so intriguing.
Hereticis now in theaters.
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Hugh Grant Will Blow Your Mind in the Scary, Tense, Slightly UnevenHeretic
