![Filmmakers Scott Beck & Bryan Woods Discuss Their Religious Horror movie, Courting Hugh Grant, Sequels & More [The Discourse Podcast]](https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/19085832/heretic-trailer-november-8.jpg "Filmmakers Scott Beck & Bryan Woods Discuss Their Religious Horror movie, Courting Hugh Grant, Sequels & More [The Discourse Podcast]")
In this week’s episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo seems to be to seek out the “true religion” whereas discussing “Heretic.” The movie follows two younger Mormon missionaries who’re drawn right into a sport of cat-and-mouse in a stranger’s home. The Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (“A Quiet Place,” “65”) movie stars Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets,” Chloe East (“The Fablelmans”), Topher Grace, and extra.
Writer/director Scott Beck and Bryan Woods be part of the podcast to debate their buzzworthy spiritual horror movie. During the interview, the longtime pals and collaborators element the movie’s stunning decades-long origins.
“This movie really culminates decades of conversations and interests that Brian and I have had,” Scott stated. “You know, rising up spiritual, however then investigating different religions. Just being fascinated with the group of faith, of non-public relationships with atheism or with precise perception, and making an attempt to place it right into a melting pot that mixes with, like, ‘why are certain cults so attractive to people? How do you change a core belief system all of a sudden?’ And 10 years or 5 years down the road, you end up completely remodeled.
“These things are interesting to us,” Beck continued. “And I think we’ve always felt that the main thing in a horror movie, the thing that is always the monster in the room of every single horror film, is humans’ fear of death, right? We’re all afraid to die. And we’re afraid of this question of what happens when you die. Is there more, or is that it? And religion is medicine for that fear. Religion gives you the belief that things will be okay no matter what. It’s always been an interesting conversation to pick at that and ask ourselves that same question. It just felt perfect for a scary movie.”
The duo additionally touched on different influences within the chat, particularly the present social media discourse and the way it has modified and influenced fashionable society.
“It’s like watching ‘Heretic,’ it feels native to the YouTube discourse or something that’s kind of emerged in the last five years or so, or maybe even more recently than that,” Woods stated. “But I think our standpoint is, ‘Can we approach each side of the equation with as much empathy as possible?’ And that’s why, yes, we nod in agreement with things that Reed is saying, but we also nod in agreement with things that the other characters, Paxton and Barnes, are saying because they’re all on a different spectrum of the relationship with belief or with atheism, disbelief. And that’s the culture where we’re at – we’re quick to divide, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way.”
“So I guess a covert ambition of ours is to make a horror film that’s a literal conversation about religion,” Beck continued. “And the hope is that it greases the wheels a little bit for when people, families, and friends leave the theater, maybe they’re just 10% more willing to have that conversation. It’s not like anyone will solve the mystery of religion.”
At the movie’s heart is Hugh Grant’s delightfully sinister efficiency, which many followers and critics name a career-best. Beck and Woods famous how obvious it was on-set that they have been witnessing one thing extraordinary.
“We’re just sitting there, we’re going, ‘Oh my God!’ And then the whole crew would erupt. The crew actually would applaud during these sequences that we would just run for like 10-minute takes,” Woods stated. “To be clear, we had our crew because it was during the strike, right? So we had a waiver to be allowed to film, but not much production was going on. So, we had Christopher Nolan’s crew, and we had Denis Villeneuve’s crew. They were our crew. They’ve seen it all. They’ve seen everything. And they’re watching Hugh Grant and giving him applause. That was f***ing cool.”
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The movie is already garnering reward from critics and followers alike, which seemingly means the studio will rapidly ask for a sequel, proper? But is there someplace to go?
“Yeah, here’s our problem [with sequels],” Beck stated. “We had a similar problem with ‘A Quiet Place’ where we can’t help ourselves. I remember when we were 11 and we were writing scripts and movies, we would start on part two. We’d say, ‘This is two and then part three,’ because it was just fun. Like the idea of sequels are fun. So, we’ve got a great idea for a prequel. We’ve got a good idea for a sequel, but we also fucking hate sequels and prequels. What we love is starting something new and asking an audience to come in and see something, hopefully, that they haven’t seen before.”
So, then, what are the duo planning to leap into subsequent?
“There’s like five things actively that we’re pursuing right now that range from a spiritual sequel to Heretic to this massive science fiction film that we would love to get made – it’s like one of the most exciting ideas we’ve ever come up with from a concept standpoint,” Woods stated. “And so those swings, the pendulum of going from something like ‘A Quiet Place’ to’ 65’ to ‘Heretic,’ we love to play in that sandbox that kind of expands its parameters as long as we’re lucky to be able to get movies made.”
The Playlist Presents – Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ Film/TV Recommendation Playlist:
1.) “Dial M for Murder” (1954) – Directed By Alfred Hitchcock
2.) “Death and the Maiden” (1994) – Directed By Roman Polanski
3.) “Oleanna” (1994) – Directed By David Mamet
4.) “Sing Sing” (2023) – Directed By Greg Kwedar
5.) “Saturday Night” (2024) – Directed By Jason Reitman
6.) “Challengers” (2024) – Directed By Luca Guadagnino
7.) “Megalopolis” (2024) – Directed By Francis Ford Coppola
“Heretic” hits theaters on Friday, November eighth. You can take heed to the complete interview beneath:
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