Iowa grads share new film at their Quad Cities theater
Scott Beck (from left), Chloe East, and Bryan Woods work on the set of Heretic. Beck and Woods, both 2007 University of Iowa communication studies graduates, wrote and directed the new thriller from A24.
Directing and screenwriting partners Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have proven masters at using silence to build tension in films such as A Quiet Place and 65. But it’s the conversations between characters that largely drive their new thriller, Heretic.
“One day we’ll find a sweet spot between all dialogue and no dialogue,” Beck says, laughing, during a Q&A after a sold-out early screening of Heretic.
In the A24 film starring Hugh Grant, Chloe East, and Sophie Thatcher, two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the door of Mr. Reed, who ensnares them in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film enters wide release Nov. 8.
Beck and Woods, both 2007 University of Iowa communication studies graduates, have long credited a class they took at Iowa on nonverbal communication with helping inspire their storytelling style. And while Heretic is full of talking, they say what’s happening between the spoken lines is just as important.
“Much of this movie is about dialogue and philosophical thoughts and ideas, a man who’s talking, almost mansplaining, but also two women who are trying to basically have a conversation between each other just on their faces,” Woods says. “Learning about how much people say when they don’t say anything has always been a good tool to have in our writing toolbox.”
The early Heretic screening and Q&A, which included East and costume designer Betsy Heimann, took place at The Last Picture House in Davenport, Iowa. Beck and Woods grew up in neighboring Bettendorf, Iowa, and both in recent years have moved back to the Quad Cities. The two opened the movie theater in 2023.
The Last Picture House is Beck’s and Woods’ love letter to cinema and to their home state.
“Our love of Iowa knows no bounds,” Beck says. “We started making movies here and learned how to do that through a community that gave us so much, whether it was donating locations for free, doing casting calls and finding incredible talent here in the Quad Cities or even in Iowa City when we went to University of Iowa.
“We were just in Iowa City for the Refocus Film Festival, and we got to see Rachel Yoder’s novel adapted into the movie Nightbitch, with Amy Adams. What an incredible film, but also what an incredible story that Rachel has concocted. And to see that it was born in Iowa City is another moment where we’re just loving the artistry that emerges from this state, and we’re just happy to be surrounded by that inspiration.”
While their new film, Heretic, has horror elements, directing and screenwriting partners Scott Beck and Bryan Woods say it also includes thought-provoking discussions about religion, faith, and humanity.
It’s also about something the two have been discussing since they became childhood friends.
“Every scary movie is about the same thing. It’s about our human fear of death and this question of what happens when you die,” Woods says. “We wanted to turn that conversation that we’ve been having since we were 11 years old into a movie.”
The film also uses a well-known face to create uneasiness in audience members.
“We feel like one of the movie’s secret weapons is Hugh Grant,” Beck says. “Hugh Grant is an actor who has charmed worldwide audiences with his romantic comedies, and yet this movie, we kind of weaponize that goodwill that he’s formed with an audience. Partly because of that, the movie keeps you guessing: ‘Am I in a dangerous situation or am I just perceiving danger that’s not really there?’”
Woods agrees.
“It just makes sense to spend as much time as we possibly can in Iowa and in our home,” Woods says. “It’s very inspiring for us, but also there’s an element of gratefulness. With something like The Last Picture House, where we can bring in actors from Hollywood and Hollywood costume designers, our hope is that there’s some young filmmakers in the audience who get inspired and think about their own art and go on to do amazing work in the future.”
The writing and directing partners admit that growing up and going to school in Iowa can feel removed from the film industry, but it has its advantages.
“It forces you to create your own opportunities. That’s something we certainly did here in the Quad Cities and when we made movies in Iowa City,” Beck says. “You look at what resources you have, and even if you don’t discover you have that much, you still can create something incredible out of it and by collaborating with people that you’re surrounded by. It’s something we still do to this day.”
Beck and Woods also encourage young storytellers to do one more thing.
“Always have your filmmaker antennas up. Look at the life around you, look at the people you’re surrounded by, the stories that inspire you,” Beck says. “Those are access points to discover what stories you want to tell.”
