A troubled Catholic priest finds himself haunted by the ghost of a suicidal teen girl whose life he failed to saveA troubled Catholic priest finds himself haunted by the ghost of a suicidal teen girl whose life he failed to saveA troubled Catholic priest finds himself haunted by the ghost of a suicidal teen girl whose life he failed to save
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
Photos
Jen Nelson
- Claire Russell
- (as Jennifer Nelson)
Michael J. Tait
- Tom Carlisle
- (as Michael J Tait)
Jodie McEnery
- Melissa Sibley
- (as Jodie Mcenery)
Storyline
Featured review
Watch this film then watch this space...
It's really necessary to watch Heretic on two different levels to fully appreciate what these first-time film-makers have achieved.
In general, Heretic sits just above average in terms of movies of this genre. The story itself is generally well-conceived and nicely paced. It sits firmly in the classic supernatural thriller camp - the relatively small amount of blood and gore is artistically delivered rather than gratuitous, the shocks are infrequent but well-placed and the overall atmosphere is subtly unsettling rather than terrifying, with an original score that complements the visuals throughout.
There are some lovely bits of film making here; there is some wonderful cinematography and some powerful scenes and performances, particularly from Squires and Tait.
There are some rough edges too; visually, some scenes are too dark resulting in some distracting digital artifacts in the DVD version of the film. There are also a few places where the dialogue feels a little unnatural and there are times where the plot seems to take a slightly forced turn.
If that were the end of the matter, Heretic would pass unnoticed as a relatively unremarkable indie-horror amongst many others...but there is another story here which is played out in the DVD audio commentary by the director Peter Handford and producer Bethany Clift.
Rather than the usual scene-by-scene self-congratulatory schmaltz we normally get in a DVD commentary, Heretic's alternative audio track is a mini-documentary, compelling in its own right, describing the journey of this movie from the original idea to its cinema, DVD and online release, through set backs, near disasters, technical problems and logistical nightmares.
Despite all this, thanks to a lot of mucking in by friends and family, a little luck and a lot of very hard work, the entire movie was produced within its original budget of less than £30,000 from start to finish. The commentary explains the reason for some of the rough edges noted above and serves as a fascinating insight into the trials and tribulations of film-making from the point of view of two complete newcomers to the process.
Watch Heretic and enjoy it. Then watch it again with the audio commentary and marvel at what the director, cast and crew have achieved. If they get the proper funding they deserve off the back of this first effort, Handford and Clift's next film is surely going to be something special.
In general, Heretic sits just above average in terms of movies of this genre. The story itself is generally well-conceived and nicely paced. It sits firmly in the classic supernatural thriller camp - the relatively small amount of blood and gore is artistically delivered rather than gratuitous, the shocks are infrequent but well-placed and the overall atmosphere is subtly unsettling rather than terrifying, with an original score that complements the visuals throughout.
There are some lovely bits of film making here; there is some wonderful cinematography and some powerful scenes and performances, particularly from Squires and Tait.
There are some rough edges too; visually, some scenes are too dark resulting in some distracting digital artifacts in the DVD version of the film. There are also a few places where the dialogue feels a little unnatural and there are times where the plot seems to take a slightly forced turn.
If that were the end of the matter, Heretic would pass unnoticed as a relatively unremarkable indie-horror amongst many others...but there is another story here which is played out in the DVD audio commentary by the director Peter Handford and producer Bethany Clift.
Rather than the usual scene-by-scene self-congratulatory schmaltz we normally get in a DVD commentary, Heretic's alternative audio track is a mini-documentary, compelling in its own right, describing the journey of this movie from the original idea to its cinema, DVD and online release, through set backs, near disasters, technical problems and logistical nightmares.
Despite all this, thanks to a lot of mucking in by friends and family, a little luck and a lot of very hard work, the entire movie was produced within its original budget of less than £30,000 from start to finish. The commentary explains the reason for some of the rough edges noted above and serves as a fascinating insight into the trials and tribulations of film-making from the point of view of two complete newcomers to the process.
Watch Heretic and enjoy it. Then watch it again with the audio commentary and marvel at what the director, cast and crew have achieved. If they get the proper funding they deserve off the back of this first effort, Handford and Clift's next film is surely going to be something special.
helpful•129
- thebertster
- Jan 13, 2014
Details
Box office
- Budget
- £30,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39:1
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