"Heretic" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Heretic (Original Soundtrack) — Chris Bacon" Soundtrack Description

Overview

Two missionaries, two doors, one house—how do you score a trap that talks? Chris Bacon’s original soundtrack for Heretic (A24, 2024) chooses pressure over volume: thin wires, heart-rate pulses, and motifs that tighten like a question you can’t answer. The album released ahead of U.S. opening collects 19 cues (~54 minutes) designed to escalate from theological chess to physical peril.

Needle-drops are spare and pointed—vintage shellac, 70s soft rock, 90s alt—so every song means something when it intrudes on silence. The final grace note is diegetic and personal: a closing-credits cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” performed by Sophie Thatcher. Baseline credits: Bacon (composer), Natasha Duprey (music supervision), with the score issued via A24’s music imprint.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Chris Bacon.

Is there an official album?

Yes. Heretic (Original Soundtrack), 19 tracks (~54 min), released in late 2024 by A24 Music (digital/LP).

Who supervised the licensed songs?

Natasha Duprey.

What songs appear in the film?

Verified placements include Ipana Troubadours’ “Just Like a Butterfly (That’s Caught in the Rain),” The Hollies’ “The Air That I Breathe,” Radiohead’s “Creep,” and Sophie Thatcher’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”

Is Sophie Thatcher actually singing on the soundtrack?

Yes—her cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” plays over the film’s final moments and end credits.

When did the film release?

World premiere at TIFF (September 8, 2024); U.S. theatrical release November 8, 2024 (A24).

Notes & Trivia

• The score album carries the A24 Music imprint; physical LP listing confirms the 19-cue program.
• Song use is minimal by design—four featured tracks with scene-specific intent rather than wall-to-wall source music.
• Duprey’s supervision balances period texture (30s dance band; 70s AM gold) with a 90s alt classic used first as an unsettling sing-along.
• The film’s composer, director duo (Scott Beck & Bryan Woods), and TIFF/U.S. release dates are consistent across industry sources.

Genres & Themes

Psych-horror minimalism → Doubt as rhythm: Bacon keeps cues close to the bone—pedal tones, brittle percussion, small ensemble—so dread grows from restraint, not jump scares.

Diegetic “comfort” songs → Weaponized nostalgia: When records spin (Hollies) or a character hums (“Creep”), familiar melodies curdle into threats.

Hymn-adjacent closers → Grace under duress: Thatcher’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” reframes the title as release, not sermon.

Tracks & Scenes

“Just Like a Butterfly (That’s Caught in the Rain)” — Ipana Troubadours
Where it plays: ~00:28:00, source on Mr. Reed’s speaker as the sisters prepare to leave (diegetic).
Why it matters: Early-30s dance-band sweetness used as dissonant comfort; the lyric foreshadows captivity and transformation.

“The Air That I Breathe” — The Hollies
Where it plays: ~00:40:00, Mr. Reed drops the needle while taunting the sisters; returns ~00:43:00 (diegetic).
Why it matters: Soft-rock serenity as a control tactic—affection weaponized.

“Creep” — Radiohead
Where it plays: ~00:45:00 as an unnerving sing-along; the studio recording enters ~01:01:00 (diegetic → non-diegetic handoff).
Why it matters: Recognition becomes complicity; the lyric mirrors Mr. Reed’s manipulation.

“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” — Sophie Thatcher
Where it plays: ~01:46:00 through the final scene into end credits (non-diegetic performance used as score-adjacent coda).
Why it matters: A character’s voice claims the last word; faith, doubt, and survival share a melody.

Trusted source listings: score album credits (A24/Apple Music) and scene-timed song placements (editor-verified breakdowns).

Music–Story Links

Bacon’s cue titles (“Two Doors,” “A Lesson in Theology,” “I Can Show You God”) literally track the film’s power plays. When Mr. Reed floods rooms with old records, the songs act like traps: anything soothing is suspect. By the end, the film hands its last prayer to Thatcher’s cover, turning exit music into testimony.

How It Was Made

Composer: Chris Bacon. Directors: Scott Beck & Bryan Woods. Music supervision: Natasha Duprey. The score album dropped November 1, 2024; A24 also promoted an official playlist featuring Bacon’s cues plus Thatcher’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Editorial choices keep licensed songs scarce so the score can carry the film’s breathless pacing.

Reception & Quotes

Coverage praised the score’s patience and the sharp use of a few well-chosen songs.

“A menacing score for the suspenseful Hugh Grant thriller.” Apple Music editorial

“Bacon’s scoring mirrors a descent into terror and uncertainty.” Sound of Life

Availability: Digital soundtrack streaming; LP via A24’s store. The film opened at TIFF 2024 and went wide in November.

Additional Info

• Album runtime ~54:00; 19 cues. Not all cue names appear on-screen, but several map directly to set-pieces (“Two Doors,” “Stairs”).
• The official A24 playlist groups Bacon’s cues with Thatcher’s cover for easy reference.
• Song count in-film is intentionally low; silence and score do the heavy lifting.
• Release pattern: TIFF world premiere (Sep 8, 2024) → U.K. Nov 1 → U.S. Nov 8.
• Album art matches the theatrical one-sheet palette and typography.

Technical Info

• Title: Heretic (Original Soundtrack)
• Year: 2024
• Type: Original score + limited licensed songs
• Composer: Chris Bacon
• Music supervision: Natasha Duprey
• Label: A24 Music (digital/LP)
• Key placements (songs): Ipana Troubadours “Just Like a Butterfly (That’s Caught in the Rain)”; The Hollies “The Air That I Breathe”; Radiohead “Creep”; Sophie Thatcher “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”
• Trailer ID (figures): O9i2vmFhSSY

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music editorial/album page; A24 LP store listing; Vague Visages scene-by-scene breakdown; Wikipedia (film credits, release); Sound of Life feature on the score; A24 official trailer.

November, 10th 2025