In recent years, Hugh Grant has worked hard to break away from his image as the affable face of the early-noughties British rom-com. While his turns in Paddington 2, Dungeons and Dragons, The Gentlemen and Wonka were admittedly different, and a step in the right direction, there’s still a roguish charm to those roles that feels akin to the reputation Grant has cultivated. Heretic, however, is the career reinvigoration the actor has been so sorely after all these years. You can read our Heretic review below.
Grant plays the disarmingly friendly Mr Reed, who has expressed interest in the Church of Jesus Christ so Mormon missionaries Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on his door to chat religion and see if they can’t convert him. At first, Mr Reed offers warm hospitality and a keen ear to their discussions but it quickly becomes apparent that the ‘gracious’ host has something far more sinister in store for the two girls.
What’s so refreshing about this latest horror jaunt from A24 and writing-directing duo Scott Becks and Bryan Woods is the minimalistic approach to cultivating tension. Heretic isn’t quite the Saw and Gerald’s Game trap movie the marketing first suggested but is instead a quieter chamber piece in which characters exchange long, dense monologues about disillusioned faith and the tenets of religion where the fear is drawn from Grant’s bubbling darkness and Sister Paxton and Barnes becoming increasingly more uncomfortable in their surroundings. They first pose to Mr Reed that they can’t be in his home without the presence of a woman and he assures them that his wife is in the room next door baking a blueberry pie but, as time goes on and the conversations get more heated, there appear to be all sorts of reasons delaying her arrival, and their desperation for her to do so becomes increasingly aparent.
Heretic review continues below – Related: Trailer – Hugh Grant in A24 horror ‘Heretic’
It’s a razor-sharp script that questions religious ideology with deft metaphors about board games and pop culture and the back-and-forth rally between Reed and the Sisters is completely enthralling and, most of all, feels grounded in reality. Thatcher and East are both terrific screen presences – the former more world-weary while the latter has an innocuity that is slowly chipped away at as the film continues – but this is undoubtedly Grant’s show to steal and it’s one of the best performances of the year. Taking the heartthrob quirks he has become known for (the quirky smile, the charm, the laugh) and twisting them in a way that becomes genuinely unnerving is masterful work and Grant is revelling in the sadism of it all. It’s both funny and unpleasant to watch – a scene in which he sings Creep off-key is a highlight – and the actor hasn’t been this electrifying in years.
The script does lose a lot of steam in the latter stages, however, as it becomes a much more generic ‘house of horrors’ narrative. Eschewing the thrilling minimalism for more shopworn tropes and jump scares, Becks and Woods quickly lose sight of what makes Heretic so strong coming out of the gate. Still, there are some genuinely dark and disturbing moments in the second half and Grant never loses his devilish charm. Religious sceptic or devout believer, one thing audiences will agree on after Heretic: Hugh Grant has still got it.
Heretic
Summary
Heretic isn’t quite the Saw and Gerald’s Game trap movie the marketing first suggested but is instead a quieter chamber piece that is both funny and unpleasant to watch (in all the right ways).
Heretic review by Awais Irfan, November 2024. The film is now on general release.
