"Heretic," which features two fictional missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is dismissive of what believers find sacred.

So beautifully constructed and acted in the first half is “Heretic” that you won’t really notice when it turns into a horror movie.

A minimalist feature such as this requires a sharp, intelligent script and performers who can effectively captivate and carry the full weight of the story, and Heretic shines with both. A smart, meta story structure is complemented with intelligent,