Heretic

What’s it about?

Two young religious women are drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse after being invited into the house of a strange man.

The facts 

• Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
• Starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, Topher Grace 
• English language 
• Runtime: 111 minutes

Why did it get this rating? 

This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.

Bloody violence and disturbing content

Heretic has several scenes containing bloody violence and disturbing content, the stronger moments include:

• A character is forced to eat poisoned pie, which kills them. Their body is disposed of through a trap door.
• A character slices someone’s throat with a box cutter. A close-up shot of the wound is shown as they scream and collapse on the floor, with their own bloodied hands covering their throat.
• A character slices someone’s arm with a box cutter. The attacker sticks their fingers into the cut and pulls out their vein. 
• A character is stabbed in the stomach.
• A character is hit in the head with a plank of wood that has nails sticking out of it.
• Women are kept in cages, fed and watered like dogs. The man begins to trim one of the prisoner’s nails with a large tool, casually cutting one of her fingers of at the knuckle and discarding it.

Sexual references

Two characters briefly discuss sexual matters, including one of their husband’s penis size, pornography, and masturbation. On the topic pornography, they say phrases like “taking it from behind” and “effing a stranger on camera for money.”

Offensive language 

There is some coarse and offensive language including “f*ck” and “damn it.”

When content stays with you: 

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information 

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau? - Blog
• Are scary films good for anything? - Blog