Heretiks (re-named as The Convent in some areas) is another entry in the ‘nuns go bad’ subgenre of horror films and while it doesn’t offer anything particularly new, the gore factor certainly gives it something to set itself apart.
Synopsis: In the early 17th century, innocent young Persephone is falsely accused and put on trial for her life. Her fate seems sealed except for the timely intervention of the mysterious Reverend Mother offering her not just sanctuary, but hope. For the Reverend Mother is the self-appointed leader of a small religious retreat, a secluded Priory, where her fellow Sisters devote their lives to the Lord and seek atonement for their pasts. But upon arrival, Persephone is plagued with terrifying visions and soon realizes that it’s not salvation that awaits but a battle for her very soul itself.
The acting does tend toward being stilted at times, but this seems to be one of the trappings of creating a period peace without altering the language to suit. This isn’t necessarily a criticism as it is something that happens frequently within period pieces, even outside the horror genre. Still, Hannah Arterton as Persephone, who we are aligned with for most of the film is likeable enough. We only get brief snapshots of her life before the convent, but Arterton delivers as a woman haunted by her past. The film is lent some considerable gravitas by the interactions between the Reverend Mother (Claire Higgins) and Sister Elizabeth (Ania Marson). The supporting cast deliver solid, if not entirely memorable performances.
Much of the issue with Heretiks is that it seems to struggle with constructing and telling the story. As a result, there are times when the film feels like it is rushing through ‘bad nun’ tropes at a frenetic pace – young nun joins a convent in search of salvation, finds even more demons who delight in exploiting religious taboos. In some ways, this is welcome as the story is nothing new and the sense of chaos provided by the pace (particularly in the latter stages) does lend a different energy. However, this also means that we get a lengthy, chaotic scene with a voiceover acting as an exposition dump. The voiceover feels a bit patronising carrying on throughout the scene as it is a relatively simple idea and while Ania Marson is providing some good work in this, it feels like a good portion of it could be cut in order to explore that scene more.
The real strong points of Heretiks are the moments of gore, which is perhaps no surprise considering director Paul Hyett’s experience in makeup and special effects. There is plenty of appropriately squishy gore to move things along and some of the most frenzied displays of violence are well-realised. The demon design is simple, but effective. The film does, however, fall victim to using loud noises and spikes in the soundtrack too often and this feels like a bit of a trade-off with a few quieter, more subtly creepy moments.
Heretiks offers some great effects and a chaotic energy which combine to create a film that won’t subvert any expectations but will offer a little something to keep fans of ‘nuns go bad’ movies entertained.
Heretiks is now available on DVD in the UK through Thunderbird Releasing.
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