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Heretic (R)

Cast: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, Topher Grace

Release Date: November 8, 2024

Runtime: 1 hr. 50 mins.

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse

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Review

Heretic is a surprisingly smart, deliciously demented horror film from the duo of Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (the original writers of A Quiet Place, whose most recent big-screen foray was the dino-fest 65). The movie features a twisted, twisty screenplay that accomplishes two things: emphasizing its theme that control is an illusion and giving Hugh Grant a villainous role that uses his innate likability to good effect. This is the best Grant has been in years (and, for those who never bought into his "aw shucks" persona, it might be deemed his best performance ever).

Heretic gets by with only three primary actors (although Topher Grace also has a small role) and a surfeit of atmosphere. Beck and Woods double-down on the production design aspects, creating a creepy haunted house weathering a major winter storm. Outside, the winds rage while rain and snow fall. Inside, the seeming hominess of the demesne gradually gives way to a horror show. Grant plays the film's Wizard of Oz, Mr. Reed, whose demeanor, like the appearance of his house, is a façade. Sound plays a big part in the film's success as well, with things doing more than going bump in the night.

Heretic opens with a simple premise: Mormon sisters Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Paxton (Chloe East) are tasked with approaching Mr. Reed (Grant) to seek his conversion to their faith (he had previously expressed interest in the creed of the Church of Latter-day Saints). They are earnest in their mission, although Sister Barnes seems a little more self-assured than her companion. After standing outside in the rain, the sisters accept Mr. Reed's invitation to come inside, although only after he assures them that his wife is in the kitchen. (A woman must be present for them to cross the threshold.)

At first, Mr. Reed appears to be nothing less than the perfect host. He assures Barnes and Paxton that his wife will join them with blueberry pie once she's done baking. He then engages them in discussions not only about Mormonism but faith, spirituality, and religion in general. Much to the women's surprise, he is well-versed not only in the tenets of their beliefs but those of other religions as well. As his arguments become darker and more cynical, the Sisters grow uncomfortable and, when they ask to leave, Mr. Reed informs them they can't go out the front door because the deadbolt is time-locked not to open until morning. The back door is available but to use it, the women must descend into a dark, forbidding cellar.

Although little about Heretic is straightforward, there are a few obvious points: Mr. Reed is a master manipulator, the women are unprepared for the depth of his psychosis, and the concept of "the illusion of control" is central to the movie's DNA. The screenplay also makes many observations about religion - some telling, some specious - but does so without being condescending or dismissive. On some level, Mr. Reed is on a quest to understand truth and share it with the women. Whether he finds it is another matter altogether. The movie also presents the Mormons as characters not cliches.

Heretic's suspense and grotesque elements come not from a high body count or copious gore. There is some of the latter but it's neither frequently presented nor extreme. That being said, this is undeniably a horror movie, although it traffics in a Hitchcockian kind of psychological terror that relies strongly on atmosphere and point-of-view. The story also avoids the fatal flaw of many such movies: it doesn't fall apart at the end.

Much will be written about Hugh Grant's performance because it is so notable. Not to completely dismiss Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, who are fine, but the movie is all about Grant. He uses his charm and charisma to disarm the women and the audience, before gradually turning up the diabolical aspects of his personality. Even then, though, he comes across as lucid - reasonable and even appealing. It's fair to argue that many actors could play this role but only Grant could play it like this. His history as a rom-com leading man makes him perfectly suited to play a psychopath that viewers may have to fight to dislike. Recently, Grant has enjoyed success playing darker characters (the HBO miniseries The Undoing and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves come to mind), so calling this "against type" casting isn't entirely accurate. But this is the best Grant has ever been at being bad.

Heretic is fundamentally more satisfying than the cavalcade of low-budget horror films that Blumhouse churns out because, unlike those movies, this one has ambition. It's not trying to capture the widest teen audience. It isn't relying on jump-scares. It hasn't toned down things to get a PG-13 rating and isn't awash in fake blood. It gets under the skin and into the mind and does what good psychological horror does best: leaves the viewer unsettled and perhaps a little shaken even after the end credits roll and the lights turn back on.

© 2024 James Berardinelli

Synopsis

Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse