‘The Heretiks’ review: a gory, witchy Halloween home invasion with real bite
Director Gregg Bishop‘s witch thriller “The Heretiks” premiered at Austin’s Fantastic Fest on Sept. 19, pitting two sisters against a bloodthirsty coven in a gory, practical-effects-heavy Halloween home invasion story.
TL;DR
- “The Heretiks,” directed by Gregg Bishop, had its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest on Sept. 19 and is competing for Best Picture and Best Director.
- The story follows renegade witch Cai as she protects sisters Ada and Mabel from a coven planning a Halloween sacrifice.
- Critics have largely praised the film’s practical effects and Halloween atmosphere, though some called the plot predictable.
- No UK distributor, release date or age rating has been confirmed yet.
What ‘The Heretiks’ is about
“The Heretiks” is the first feature produced under Be Afraid, the new production banner from horror outlet Dread Central, and it lands in a busy run of horror releases this autumn, including A24’s upcoming Jeremy Saulnier thriller “Slayground.” Bishop, who also directed “Dance of the Dead” and “Siren,” leads the project, working from a script by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski.
Set over a single Halloween night, the film follows Cai (Kimberly Epstein), a witch who breaks from her old coven to protect sisters Ada (Josie Wert) and Mabel (Ava Mae Seidensticker). Neve (Tess Williams), the coven’s leader, wants to sacrifice 13-year-old Mabel to trigger an apocalyptic ritual.
Behind the scenes
Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, the writers behind “The Night House” and the 2022 “Hellraiser” remake, built the story around classic home-invasion horror staples. They wrote the film for producers including Brad Miska and Chris White, alongside Bleiberg Entertainment, which financed the production.
Bishop said the team set out to make “a visceral, high-stakes Halloween horror experience, grounded in performance,” according to Dread Central.
What critics are saying
Early reviews out of Fantastic Fest have skewed positive. Daily Dead called the film a fun, gory ride built for a Halloween night in with the lights off, and several other outlets echoed that, pointing to the practical effects and Halloween atmosphere as high points.
Not every critic was won over. Heaven of Horror gave the film a recommendation but said its pacing and plot could have been stronger, and a handful of other reviews argued the story never quite lives up to its atmospheric opening. It’s a similar split to the one that followed our “In a Violent Nature 2” review earlier this year, where critics also disagreed on whether the sequel lived up to its premise.
UK release: what we know so far
“The Heretiks” does not yet have a UK distributor, cinema release date or BBFC rating. Bleiberg Entertainment, which financed the film, is still handling sales following the Fantastic Fest premiere, so a UK date has not been announced. UK horror fans are used to the wait: as we noted when looking back at Freddy Krueger’s own history here, US genre titles can take time to cross the Atlantic.
Lewis Calvert Founder & Editor, BriefLedger
Lewis founded BriefLedger and has six years of experience covering film, TV, and entertainment news. He leads the site’s Movies and TV sections and runs the news desk — always with a straight-talking British take.
