If you thought your last breakup was messy, try leaving a coven of sadistic fanatics.
Filming has officially wrapped on The Heretiks, a witchy home-invasion horror flick that sounds like a fever dream for anyone who misses the ’80s and fears the occult. The project comes from the twisted minds of Luke Piotrowski and Ben Collins—the writing duo who previously made us uncomfortable with The Night House, Super Dark Times, and the 2022 Hellraiser reboot.
The Plot: A Very Bad Halloween
Set against a nostalgic 1980s Halloween backdrop, the film follows Cai (Kimberly Epstein), a renegade witch who clearly didn’t get a “good luck on your future endeavors” card from her former coven.
Instead of moving on, the coven’s leader, a “sadistic fanatic” named Neve (Tess Williams), is dead-set on bringing about the apocalypse. The plan? A casual Halloween night sacrifice involving a young girl named Mabel. Cai must step up as the ultimate supernatural bodyguard to protect Mabel and her friends from a coven that really doesn’t take “no” for an answer.
The Creative Coven
The film is directed by Gregg Bishop, a filmmaker who knows his way around a genre-bender (Siren, Dance of the Dead). Bishop described the project as a “visceral, high-stakes Halloween horror experience,” which is fancy director-speak for “it’s going to be intense.”
The production team is a “Who’s Who” of indie horror muscle: Ehud and Ariel Bleiberg (Bleiberg Entertainment), Alexander Motlagh (The Signal), Brad Miska (Terrifier 3), and Chris White (A24’s Backrooms).
What’s Next?
While Bleiberg is currently haunting the Cannes market with the film’s first footage to entice buyers, the creators aren’t resting. Writer Luke Piotrowski is already pivoting to his next directorial effort, Blasphemous, which features a heavy-hitting cast including Karen Gillan, Josh Hutcherson, and Clive Owen.
With a cast of rising stars and a creative team that specializes in psychological dread, The Heretiks looks poised to be the next “must-watch” for fans of retro-horror and ritualistic chaos. Just remember: if your former coworkers show up at your house on Halloween, don’t open the door.
