A notorious cult kidnaps a young girl and sacrifices themselves by the light of the locust moon. The next morning the girl awakes, caked in dried blood and surrounded by corpses but safe – or so she thinks. Years later, the locust moon is about to rise again and the girl is captured once more by a surviving member of the cult. She is taken to a remote cabin where she learns that a demon has been growing inside of her all these years and before the dawn it will rise.

Back in the 70s and early 80s, there were a number of really good scary made for TV movies. These films like Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Trilogy of Terror, Satan’s School for Girls and others focused more on creepy storytelling than on gore. The Heretics has the feel of being one of those films.  

Gloria (Nina Kiri) has struggled to get her life back together after her traumatic experience. A mysterious cult had kidnapped her and used her in a ceremony that ended with the cult members all slicing their throats. Thanks to her girlfriend Joan (Jorja Cadence,) Gloria has been able to move on with her life.  Joan’s back is covered with scars from her own terrible past trauma. The two girls happily look forward to what’s to come in life. However Gloria is grabbed off the streets one night by a man in van as she approaches her home.

The man, named Thomas (Ry Barrett,) takes her to a remote cabin in the woods. He tells that he was a member of the cult that kidnapped her. On the night of the ceremony, Thomas had become disillusioned with the cult’s beliefs and faked his death that night. He informs her that the ceremony she walked away from was only the first part.  The cult believes that Gloria has their dark lord inside of her and that the concluding ceremony will welcome him out of her. If he can keep her safe until sunrise then it will be too late for the ceremony and she will survive.

The Heretics is full of twists and turns some predictable and others are surprises.  Director Chad Archibald and writer Jayme Laforest  both do a skilled job of creating a simple but effective tale. Another high point is the makeup effects.  However that brings up a confusing story point.  Thomas had made it clear that he doesn’t believe that the dark lord exists but throughout the night Gloria begins to slowly transforming.  This including appearing to grow wings.  And all the while Thomas stays focused on his quest to get her through the night. I would think her visual transformation would be enough to convince him that they were right.

That aside the characters in The Heretics are interesting enough to hold your interest.  Kiri and Barrett both give their scenes together a mutual empathy.  Thomas feels guilty about what has happened to Gloria and at the same time Gloria feels a compassion for the risk Thomas is taking to save her. Likewise Cadence’s panicked and frantic performance as Joan tries desperately to find Gloria before it’s too late stays strong throughout the film.