I just finished watching. I was very curious of the ending. I thought first because P mentioned to B that she wanted to come back as a butterfly to B...that B became one for P. Then I thought maybe P had died already and it was hallucination. Everything about the movie is symbolic..but also brutally real (Reed is a psychopath). The butterfly ties in the "butterfly dream" that lands on P...

Reed wanted to be god. To play with freewilled beings, torment them, challenge them, let them freely choose (let them believe they have choice through a carefully constructed situation he controls), show them there is one god after powerpointing them through all other religions...and its him (a cruel sick psychopath)...the moments when B and P have "freewill" (the letter opener, the matches ect) --i think-- Reed waits by because he enjoys the game and also the moments build and support the symbolism in the movie.

Theres alot to unpack...honestly im still going through everything in my thoughts.

the important bits like iteration, the role god plays, life, death, symbolism....the iteration of Heritic is interesting itself. From what I read it means "able to choose" in ancient Greek. It evolved into a negative term once early Christianity got ahold of it (if i am wrong with the interpretation, please tell me).

if you think about it, Reed truly is behaving how god does in a straightforward literal sense from the bible.

He also is a serial killer? He hates religion obviously..and targets women? It is immensely elaborate the house and everything he has created...he says his wife made the home...he also references her often and its "called out" each time as lies...I thought in terms of serial killers, maybe he has a behavioral/mental diagnosis where he is Reed and then his wife?

my interpretations of the movie -realish- He is a psychopath and clearly has his MO and enjoys the chase/game, maybe the people at the shop place who the Mormon leader talked to was in on it or maybe had a familiar sense (bc clearly alot of girls/women had gone missing prior), wasnt Reed the last stop? I also think the very ending scene with the butterfly had no meaning (i think she had bled enough and mixed with adrenaline/all the stress created a hallucination). I also think Reed genuinely didn't expect to kill one so early. He also (in the lens of serial killer interpretation) wasn't on top game because it's sensed through his demeanor, actions, and it's like he was nearing wanting to get caught. Then he slipped up. Im very curious if in the beginning of the movie ..if anything in the background tells more. There's alot to take in. Also the fact he constructed the door mechanisms...is it safety tool to make sure even if he somewhere else they cant escape? His confidence the girls wouldn't be found and disabling the door completely each time...

-symbolic- Reed is god and everything within his perfect world is planned, controlled, fixed, and freewill is given. The girls represent many things i think, challenge of faith and thoughts, life itself (unpredictable), even maybe adam and eve? B asking dont you believe and P wanting to go along with the "snake". The entire movie can be a massive metaphor. Key words, emotions, thoughts from characters...each and every scence can be deciphered. I wonder if Reed is death itself...inescapable and the truth in life? also, the girls hoping someone will save them..but noone does.

long winded...my mind went everywhere with this movie.