THE HERETIKS

From Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, the writers of HELLRAISER (2022) and THE NIGHT HOUSE, comes the first production from Dread Central’s new company Be Afraid—THE HERETIKS. Directed by Gregg Bishop, this Halloween-set home invasion horror fuses supernatural mayhem, suspense, and old-school practical-effects energy into one wickedly entertaining ride.

Set over the course of a single fateful night, THE HERETIKS follows a disaffected teenager, Ada, forced into an unlikely alliance with a renegade witch when her younger sister, Mabel, is marked for sacrifice by a fanatical coven determined to usher in the apocalypse. As the clock races toward midnight, ancient grudges, forbidden magic, and blood-soaked rituals collide in a relentless fight for survival. The film channels the kinetic spirit of '80s horror while delivering a contemporary coming-of-age story about family, identity, and the courage to defy inherited beliefs. Bishop blends inventive scares, dark humor, and propulsive action to tell a tale that is as emotionally grounded as it is gleefully unhinged.

Fueled by a fresh ensemble cast and an atmosphere steeped in autumnal dread, THE HERETIKS embraces the pleasures of practical horror without sacrificing heart. Every chase, spell, and confrontation builds toward a feverish finale that transforms Halloween night into a battleground between blind devotion and hard-won self-determination. Equal parts witchcraft thriller, survival horror, and midnight crowd-pleaser, the film is an exhilarating celebration of rebellious outsiders, supernatural chaos, and the enduring appeal of horror that wears its love of the genre proudly on its sleeve. (SARA LOPO)