As his talk with Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton grows more personal and judgmental, he becomes increasingly creepy.
Ultimately,Reed’s true “religion"is the idea of control.
Some might believe thatthe implication behind this moment is that the butterfly is a representation of Barnes.
The butterfly implies to Paxton (and the audience) that the afterlife exists, justifying their faith.
Did Barnes Come Back To Life In Heretic’s Ending?
Of course, there is a darker possibility that is similar to certain interpretations of the butterfly.
Custom Image by Yeider Chacon
It would be another instance of her imagining her faith being rewarded even with a seemingly impossible occurrence.
At the time of writing,Heretichas a 94% positive critical score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Mr. Reed’s captured women play into his beliefs about the powerand importance of control.
Image via A24
In his worldview, control is the only truereligion in the world ofHeretic.
It allows for people to dominate others and change the world around them.
It’s a very dark mindset, and one that Mr. Reed carries out to a horrifying degree.
Image via A24
Does Mr. Reed Have A Wife In Heretic?
This is initially justified by the smell of blueberry pie filling the house.
However, the scent is actually coming from a nearby candle.Mr.
Reed doesn’t seem to have a wife in the regular understanding of the word.
In a sense,Mr.
Reed has similar inclinationsto control multiple women, albeit in a far more oppressive and grim way.
Custom Image by Yeider Chacon
Heretics conclusions are there from the very beginning, not predictable or boring, but careful and elegant.
That said, there are versions of this film that fall apart completely, and Heretic never does that.
