The Heretic (2018): Ending Explained

Quick Recap

In The Heretic, directed by John Boorman, the story unfolds four years after the harrowing events of the original Exorcist. The focus returns to 16-year-old Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), who appears to have recovered from her demonic possession but remains under close observation at a New York psychiatric institute led by Dr. Gene Tuskin (Louise Fletcher). Regan's guardian, Sharon Spencer (Kitty Winn), watches over her, while Regan insists she remembers nothing of the ordeal in Washington, D.C. Enter Father Philip Lamont (Richard Burton), a priest grappling with his own crisis of faith, assigned by the Church's Cardinal (Paul Henreid) to investigate the death of Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow), who perished during Regan's exorcism.

Lamont's inquiry is complicated by the Church's push toward modernization, which seeks to downplay the existence of Satan and brands Merrin's unorthodox writings as heretical. The priest's mission leads him to Latin America, where a botched exorcism of a possessed woman who claims healing powers ends in tragedy—fire engulfs the scene, claiming her life and deepening Lamont's doubts. Back in New York, Lamont clashes with Tuskin, who uses a cutting-edge "synchronizer" device to link brainwaves and access repressed memories. Under hypnosis, Regan guides Lamont through visions, including a tour of the Georgetown house where the original exorcism occurred. These sessions pull Lamont into Regan's subconscious, revealing fragments of the past tied to the demon Pazuzu.

As the narrative builds, Lamont becomes entangled in Regan's psyche via the synchronizer, confronting echoes of Merrin's final moments. The film weaves science and spirituality, questioning the boundaries between mental illness, faith, and supernatural evil in a world eager to embrace rational explanations over ancient terrors.

What Happens in the Ending

The film's climactic final scenes center on Father Lamont's deepening immersion into Regan's mind through the synchronizer device, a biofeedback tool that synchronizes their brainwaves to unlock buried memories. After a tense guided tour of the Georgetown house with Sharon, Lamont returns to the institute for another session. Hypnotized and linked to Regan, he is transported into a vivid vision of the past orchestrated by the demon Pazuzu itself.

In this ethereal sequence, Lamont witnesses Father Merrin performing an exorcism on a young boy named Kokumo in Africa. The vision reveals Kokumo's transformation: once a victim of possession, the boy has developed extraordinary powers to combat Pazuzu, evolving from prey to protector. Pazuzu manifests not as a singular entity but as a menacing swarm of locusts, symbolizing an invasive, biblical plague that overwhelms and corrupts. Lamont observes Merrin's ritual, gaining fragmented insights into the demon's Assyrian origins and its relentless pursuit across continents and souls.

As the vision intensifies, Lamont confronts the specter of Merrin's death, piecing together how Pazuzu orchestrated the priest's demise during Regan's original exorcism. The session culminates in a disorienting release from the synchronizer, leaving Lamont shaken but armed with knowledge of Pazuzu's vulnerabilities. Regan awakens seemingly unaffected, her memories still repressed, while Lamont emerges resolved to challenge the Church's denial of evil. The screen fades on Lamont's contemplative gaze, hinting at an ongoing spiritual battle without a tidy exorcism or demonic defeat—Pazuzu lingers as an unseen threat.

The Meaning Behind the Ending

The ending of The Heretic transcends a simple horror resolution, delving into profound questions of faith, memory, and the clash between ancient beliefs and modern skepticism. The synchronizer vision serves as a metaphor for the fragile bridge between the rational mind and the irrational unknown; by linking human brains, it exposes how personal traumas and collective myths intertwine, much like how the Church's modernization efforts attempt to "synchronize" spirituality with science, only to unleash suppressed horrors.

Symbolically, Pazuzu's appearance as a swarm of locusts evokes biblical plagues and ecological imbalance, representing not just demonic possession but humanity's hubris in denying intangible evils—be they spiritual, psychological, or societal. Merrin's African exorcism underscores a global dimension to evil, suggesting that possession isn't confined to one culture or individual but spreads like an contagion, mirroring real-world fears of colonialism and cultural erasure. The ending's lack of overt victory highlights moral complexity: Lamont's "enlightenment" comes at the cost of his faith's erosion, forcing viewers to contemplate whether confronting evil strengthens or shatters the soul. At its core, it probes the human truth that repression—whether of memories or Satan—only amplifies the darkness, urging a contemplative reckoning with what we choose to forget.

Character Arcs and Resolution

Father Philip Lamont's journey from a faith-struggling priest to a reluctant truth-seeker reaches its zenith in the ending's vision. Initially burdened by the failed Latin American exorcism and the Church's political maneuvering, Lamont's arc resolves in quiet defiance; by witnessing Merrin's legacy through Kokumo's empowerment, he reclaims a personal conviction that transcends institutional dogma. This evolution reflects the psychological toll of doubt—his contemplative emergence suggests growth through vulnerability, though it leaves him isolated, a heretic in his own right.

Regan MacNeil, the enduring epicenter, completes a subtle arc from amnesiac survivor to unwitting conduit. Her repressed memories, accessed via the synchronizer, reveal her as more than a victim; she's a vessel for ongoing resistance, echoing Kokumo's transformation. Yet her "normal" awakening underscores unresolved trauma, critiquing psychiatric approaches that treat spiritual wounds as mere mental glitches. Dr. Tuskin represents scientific resolve, her methods enabling revelation but blind to the supernatural, resolving her arc in unwitting complicity. Collectively, these conclusions emphasize how characters' paths intersect in ambiguity, highlighting the moral complexity of healing in a divided world—faith and reason both fall short, leaving personal agency as the fragile resolution.

Alternate Interpretations

The ending's dreamlike quality invites multiple readings, particularly around the vision's authenticity. One interpretation views it as a genuine supernatural encounter, with Pazuzu actively manipulating Lamont to spread its influence, aligning with the film's horror roots and Merrin's heretical warnings. This sees the locust swarm as a literal demonic ploy, subverting the Church's denial and affirming Satan's persistence.

Alternatively, a psychological lens posits the vision as a shared hallucination born of suggestion and trauma—Regan's repressed memories projected onto Lamont via the synchronizer, blending her guilt over Merrin's death with his faith crisis. Here, Pazuzu symbolizes internalized fears rather than external evil, offering a commentary on how institutions (Church or psychiatry) gaslight believers and patients alike. A third, more contemplative take blends both: the ambiguity reinforces thematic depth, suggesting possession as a metaphor for societal "demons" like doubt and modernization, where truth lies in the unresolved tension between mind and spirit. These layers ensure the ending rewards rewatches, mirroring the characters' own interpretive struggles.

Themes and Symbolism

The ending reinforces The Heretic's core themes of faith versus modernity, the inescapability of evil, and the psychology of repression. The synchronizer symbolizes humanity's technological overreach, a false idol that pierces the veil but invites chaos, subverting the original Exorcist's pure ritualism by hybridizing science and exorcism. Pazuzu's locust form draws on apocalyptic imagery, commenting on societal plagues—be it religious dogma clashing with progress or the spread of doubt like an infestation.

Broader symbolism ties to moral complexity: Merrin's posthumous heresy trial critiques institutional self-preservation, while Kokumo's powers represent resilience born from suffering, a human truth that evil forges unlikely heroes. The film subverts traditional horror closure, opting for contemplative unease to underscore that true horror lies in denial; by ending on Lamont's unresolved gaze, it challenges viewers to confront their own "possessions"—fears, beliefs, and the shadows we synchronize away.

Final Thoughts

The Heretic's ending masterfully captures the film's contemplative essence, trading jump scares for intellectual unease that lingers long after the credits. By immersing us in Lamont's vision without pat answers, it elevates the sequel beyond schlock, offering substantive commentary on the human condition amid spiritual turmoil. While some may find its ambiguity frustrating, this very openness makes it work—inviting personal reflection on faith's fragility in a skeptical age. For fans of psychological horror, it's a bold, if polarizing, evolution of the franchise, proving that the real heretic might be the one who looks away.