Summary
While A24’sHereticalready looked promising, the psychological thriller’s reunion of an underrated Stephen King adaptation’s creators makes it even more exciting. 2024’sHereticis the latest in astring of A24 horror movies. The distributor has built a reputation for releasing thoughtful, offbeat horror movies that challenge audiences, much likethe rest of A24’s movies. From 2024’s body horrorTuskto director Ti West’s slasher trilogy, which consists ofX,Pearl, andMaXXXine, A24 has released some of the most exciting and interesting new horror movies of the last decade. 2024 continues this trend.
The upcomingHereticsees A24 venture into the nightmarish world of religious horror once again.Heretictells the story of two ill-fated Mormon missionaries who knock on the door of a seemingly sweet man in the hopes of converting him. Soon, they find themselves trapped in his isolated home and forced to partake in a twisted test of their faith. In an inspired casting coup, the villain ofHereticis played by rom-com mainstay Hugh Grant. Grant played some morally dubious characters inDungeons and Dragons: Honor Among ThievesandPaddington 2, but this is his first horror villain role.
Every A24 Movie Releasing In 2024
The wildly consistent and popular production/distribution company A24 has several very exciting projects set for wide release in 2024.
A24’s Heretic Reunites The Boogeyman’s Sophie Thatcher and Scott Beck
A Quiet Place’s Screenwriter Adapted The Stephen King Story in 2023
However, Grant isn’t the only exciting addition toHeretic’s cast.Hereticreunites the star and screenwriter of 2023’s underrated Stephen King adaptationThe Boogeymanwith Scott Beck penning the movie’s screenplay and Sophie Thatcher playing one of its heroines. ThatcherplayedThe Boogeyman’s heroine Sadiein the intense horror drama, which earned a solid $82 million upon its 2023 release. While it wasn’t as effective as Beck’s earlier collaboration with co-writer Bryan Woods, 2018’s acclaimed blockbusterA Quiet Place,The Boogeymandid balance its explicit horror elements with a poignant depiction of a family coping with grief.
Stephen King’s source story follows a troubled patient who recounts his encounters with the boogeyman to his therapist, and the brief, grim tale includes a classic twist ending. In contrast, 2023’sThe Boogeyman is surprisingly sad, focusing on a family who are torn apart by the loss of their mother before the eponymous monster even rears its head.The Boogeyman’s family drama offered Thatcher a chance to impress as a dramatic performer, but its horror elements were somewhat sidelined in the process. In contrast,Heretic’s self-contained story has the potential to be a more intense, traditional horror thrill ride.
Heretic Can Outdo The Boogeyman In One Crucial Area
A24’s New Horror Promises Beck’s Signature Intensity
LikeA Quiet Placeor Beck and Woods’ later 2019 horror movieHaunt,A24’s upcoming religious horrorHereticis a full-blown chase movie. WhereThe Boogeyman was a more meditative horror story,Hereticpromises constant tension and scares thanks to its limited locations and compressed time frame.Heretic’s trailer advertises something closer in tone toGreen RoomorCreepthan Thatcher’s earlier collaboration with Woods. This is great news as it means thatHereticcan allow A24 to offer a more intense, pulse-pounding brand of horror when the psychological thriller arrives later in 2024.
