[imagesource:A24]

In the nerve-wracking thriller Heretic, two young Mormon missionaries, played by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, arrive at the doorstep of a seemingly charming man, portrayed by Hugh Grant.

His warm demeanour and polite curiosity appear to signal a genuine desire for understanding as he invites them in. But as the conversation unfolds, a chilling truth emerges—this man’s interest is anything but in good faith.

When it comes to religious horror films, the genre tends to tread familiar ground: demon possession, sinister antichrist babies, and the devil pulling the strings behind every action. These tropes are all too common in the world of religious horror. Yet, rarely does a film delve into the true, raw terror of having faith itself—the gnawing fear of trusting in something that could ultimately be false, or the devastating internal chaos of a crisis of faith.

Heretic, the latest offering from writer-director duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (the minds behind A Quiet Place, Boogeyman, 65, and Haunt), takes a refreshing departure from the norm. Focusing less on the typical thrills of horror and more on the profound weight of religion itself, their A24 film carves out a distinctive space within the genre, offering a chilling exploration of belief and doubt.

Although the premise is compelling all on its own, it is Hugh Grant’s presence that really makes it a chilling watch. As The Independent‘s four out of five-star review notes in the title “It’s the Hugh Grant we know in horror Heretic – that’s what makes it so scary”.

“He still rushes headfirst into his sentences, only to end them with a sheepish smile. He still parcels out morsels of sincerity with a shrug and a chuckle, bashful at any admission of vulnerability.”

“Grant’s performance is all the more frightening because he never leans into the bug-eyed, grinning, head-tilted trademarks of onscreen psychopathy. Instead, he remains unnervingly placid and casual, which transforms this latest offering from Scott Beck and Bryan Woods into a story about the abject terror of being cornered by a man addicted to debate.”

While the sisters have come to convert him, he soon turns the table on them by confronting them with their church’s past doctrine of polygamy.

Cue the smell of blueberry pie:

AP News reviews Heretic as “a fascinating mix of high discourse, gore and a shifty Hugh Grant” while The Guardian also gives it four out of five stars, noting it as “gruesome and bizarre and preposterous, the third aspect made palatable by Grant’s dapper performance of evil.”

It was also given a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, so you know, you’re in for a decent watch.

Heretic hit cinemas on November 1.

[source:independent]