“We’re all a little pagan.”
It is my favorite time of the year. Cauldrons, bats, and pumpkins. Lawn standees of skeletons, ghosts, and witches. Spiced treats, cider, and bags of fun-sized candy bars. Unfortunately for me, the weather does not cool, and palm trees don’t turn red and gold with the changing of the season. This means much of my Halloween bliss comes vicariously from October watchlists of fall favorites. That said, there is no better timing for Gregg Bishop's The Heretiks, which just had its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026.
From the writers behind films like Hulu's Hellraiser and The Night House, Luke Plotrowski and Ben Collins, this witchy story follows Mabel (Ava Mae Seidensticker) and her sister Ada (Josie Juliette Wert) on Halloween night as they are pursued by a coven whose Samhain rituals have marked Mabel as their chosen sacrifice.
A suspended middle schooler and a college dropout: this is how we are introduced to this sister duo. Mabel and Ada are two sides of the same coin in this way. Mabel is a spunky pre-teen, sure of herself in such a way that she does not shy away from speaking her truth, something that unfortunately is punished at that age, hence her suspension over her refusal to remove her face paint (I mean it’s Halloween! Let the girl live a little!). Ada, on the other hand, is sure of nothing. She feels as useless as a degree that would have meant nothing to her, and has chosen to come back home to live in limbo. With their father out of town, it is Ada’s job to take Mabel and Wesley (Luke Speakman of Weapons fame), a neighborhood boy we can be sure Ada has spent many weekends babysitting, trick-or-treating.
This is one of the major highlights of The Heretiks, the absolutely nostalgic and comforting atmosphere. Kids are running around in costumes, folks are lighting their jack-o-lanterns, and putting out their candy bowls. Leaves are rustling and you can just smell the damp autumnal weather. The festivities are interrupted, however, when Ada drags the kids to a party packed with people from her past. She puts their night on hold to have a pity party and maybe win back Ryan (Spencer Brabham), who she dumped over text… Unwilling to sit idly by, Mabel takes Wesley back home, and it is this separation that makes them vulnerable to a coven whose members have been stalking Mabel throughout the day. Just as quickly as they are attacked, the pair are aided by a rogue witch Cai (Kimberly Epstein), who has gone from High Priestess to Heretic in the eyes of the coven. Mabel must survive the night, and as they hunker down in the family home, Mabel, Ada, and even Cai learn lessons about sisterhood, faith, and learning your self-worth.
The film follows a pretty classic premise, one that can have audiences easily drawing comparisons to films like Hocus Pocus, another Halloween night ruined when siblings are under attack by witches. While the film doesn’t quite earn an R rating, it's a gateway horror that can give you a little more than PG scares. These witches are definitely quite fantastical, creating something that reads more like a mutant-centered action film than a folk horror. Because of this, the script sometimes writes itself into a corner but if you simply accept the logic it throws at you, it is an enjoyable watch. Luckily, the performances of our leads, between Epstein’s elusive and stoic Cai, and Wert’s frantic and emotional Ada, it is easy to stay keyed into the emotional center of The Heretiks. At its heart, this film is about believing in yourself, in seeing the “potential buried in layers of doubt,” as Cai puts it. The Heretiks is really a film about casting your selfishness aside and allowing the love for your coven to be the force that uplifts you.
3/5