Kevin Smith has been one of our best filmmakers of the last thirty years, a writer and director who is able to make an enjoyable movie out of any topic. Never has witty banter between friends been as engaging as in his first outing, Clerks. He dipped his toes into action movies with Cop Out, and took a stab at horror in Red State, but his most ambitious film is probably 1999’s Dogma, starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. It took a controversial look at religion, so it should come as no surprise that, as Smith was writing the long-awaited Dogma 2, he took inspiration from another religious-themed film. Last year, Hugh Grant terrified audiences in Heretic simply by speaking. And Kevin Smith, like everyone else who saw it, was floored.
‘Dogma’ Was Vastly Different From Kevin Smith’s Other Movies
Kevin Smith’s films have always been dialogue-heavy. Clerks is not much more than just a bunch of friends talking in a convenience store. Mallrats does much of the same, switching up the small store setting for a vast shopping mall. And Chasing Amy, while more of a romantic comedy, is filled with lines that snap. Even though the plots weren’t overly big, those first three movies had a lot to say. Dogma went for the biggest conversation of all.
Dogma has Ben Affleck and Matt Damon starring as fallen angels who are trying to get back into Heaven by exploiting a loophole in Catholicism. Dogma offended many, despite the fact that it was just asking questions. As Roger Ebert wrote in his 3.5 star review, “Those whose approach to religion is spiritual will have little trouble with Dogma, because they will understand the characters as imperfect, sincere, clumsy seekers trying to do the right thing. Those who see religion more as a team, a club, a hobby or a pressure group are going to be upset.”
Kevin Smith Watched ‘Heretic’ for Inspiration While Writing ‘Dogma 2’
Kevin Smith has gone on to have a successful career. He made a flick about a group of friends making an adult film in Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and he turned Justin Long into a freakin’ walrus in Tusk. Nothing has matched the shocking nature of Dogma. So now, 26 years later, Smith is returning to that world with Dogma 2. Recently, during an interview with Ringer Movies, Kevin Smith spoke about Dogma 2 and a certain horror film from last year that gave him inspiration.
Smith raved about several recent horror movies of late that he’s loved, like Barbarian and Companion, but it was Heretic that really got to him. When asked by Ringer Movies what the last great movie he saw was, he said he was going to pay the highest compliment he could, adding, “While writing the Dogma sequel, you look for nourishment from movies that are like, ohhh.” He was looking for inspiration, so “I’ve been rewatching the first hour of Heretic, which I fucking love.” He leaned in close to the screen for the first twenty minutes, seeing a kindred spirit. “It was porn for me,” he joked. If you’ve seen both Dogma and Heretic, you can see why he was so enthralled.
The First Hour of ‘Heretic’ Is Unnerving Because of Hugh Grant’s Dialogue
Dogma asked questions about religion with an over-the-top plot and witty comedy, but Heretic does it by taking the trope of young girls in trouble, a creepy house, and an even creepier villain, and stirring it all up with a deep meditation on religion. While Kevin Smith looked at Catholicism, Heretic examined the bigger unknowns through Mormonism. Questions are asked, a religion is deconstructed, and people are going to die.
But why would Kevin Smith focus only on the first hour of Heretic? It’s because that’s where the juiciest meat is. Heretic, written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, had a clever marketing campaign that didn’t give away the twist of the second half of the movie. All we know is that two girls go to a house where Hugh Grant’s character lives, he’s acting very odd, and they might not be able to get away. That idea has been done to death, but Heretic sets itself apart through the dialogue and motives of its characters. Our women in danger are two Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East). The latter is devout but gullible, while the former has experienced pain in her life, causing her to be more skeptical. When calling on the house of a Mr. Reed (Grant), they encounter a man who should be safe. He’s kind, older, has a wife somewhere else in the house, and is making a blueberry pie. But that’s when Heretic first starts to unravel and show itself.
Long before the big twist of what Mr. Reed is capable of, we get to see Barnes and Paxton increasingly becoming frightened as a curious Mr. Reed questions everything about their religion. Rather than being respectful, he rudely picks apart their beliefs, all with a calm voice and a smile. We can see it, and Barnes and Paxton can too, that something is very wrong with Mr. Reed. He hasn’t harmed anyone. All he’s done is speak in a kind tone and give his opinion on religion, but his outspokenness exposes him. If he’s this free with his opinions, what will happen when his secrets and lies are found out? Heretic was one of the best horror movies of 2024, with a slow build that couldn’t be matched. It’ll be interesting to see if its message leaks into Kevin Smith’s Dogma 2 script.
