The Heretiks [Fantastic Fest Review]

by Mike McGranaghan

Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski wrote The Night House and the 2022 Hellraiser reboot, two of the most effective horror movies of the decade so far. They’ve penned another winner with The Heretiks, a witchy Halloween chiller directed by Gregg Bishop that had its world premiere at the 2026 Fantastic Fest.

It’s October 31. Rebellious teenager Mabel (Ava Mae Seidensticker) has just gotten suspended from school. This starts a fight with her older sister Ada (Josie Juliette Wert), a recent college dropout. Their disagreement is interrupted after Mabel is randomly chosen by a coven for sacrifice. A determined witch named Neve (Tess Williams) comes looking for her, associates in tow. Fortunately, another witch, Kai (Kimberly Epstein), also shows up, determined to foil Neve. Ada and Kai team up to protect Mabel, and they only have until midnight to do it.

The Heretiks tells an interesting story about sisterhood. The tense relationship between Mabel and Ada is always front and center. They’ve somehow gotten on different wavelengths and have been unable to rectify that. Despite feuding, Ada is always there for her younger sibling when the chips are down. Taking on the role of protector not only shows Mabel how much she’s loved, it also puts Ada in the position of having to start becoming more responsible. An emphasis on the development of their characters helps give the horror elements extra impact.

Neve and Kai have spell-casting powers that provide the film with its thrills. They can shoot fire from their hands, throw people across rooms, and, most gruesomely, immediately remove a person’s skin from their body. Excellent visual effects make that last effect, in particular, appropriately nasty. It factors in to the finale significantly, guaranteeing the movie ends on a spectacular note. The ending is spooky not only from a visual perspective but from an atmospheric one, as well.

Seidensticker and Wert turn in appealing performances, while Williams, speaking in a squeaky trick voice, is admirably eerie. Epstein brings toughness to Kai, although the character is a bit of an exposition machine, constantly having to explain what the other witches are doing and what the various spells are. That’s just one extremely minor flaw in what is otherwise a cool and – dare I say it? – bewitching horror flick.