It’s safe to say you haven’t seen Hugh Grant quite like this. The lovable character actor has always been something of a chameleon, appearing in everything from family-friendly comedies (most recently “Paddington 2”) to murder-mysteries (director Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion”) to harder-edged genre movies (Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen” in 2019 and “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” last year) to blockbuster musicals and adventure movies — hello, scene-stealing appearances as an Oompa Loompa in “Wonka” and as Forge in “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.” His next role is utterly unlike any of those previous ones, however. Leave it to A24 and directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods to bring out a whole new side of him in “Heretic.”
Let’s put it this way: If you ever thought that nothing could possibly be more annoying than religious missionaries going door-to-door to spread the good news of whatever they might be hawking, well, this could be the horror movie for you. Grant stars as Mr. Reed, an unassuming man who welcomes two young Mormons into his house … and refuses to let them out. At least, not without subjecting them to a whole series of depraved mind games (and worse) first, that is. The indie studio has been hyping this one up for several months now and it’s clear why. Today, it’s dropped another full trailer, which you can check out above!
Don’t choose the wrong door in Heretic
You know what they say: Beware kindly-looking British men in argyle sweaters, folks. “Heretic” looks like it could actually live up to the hype as one of the scarier movies of the year, based on the footage A24 has released so far. But don’t just take the studio marketing at their word. /Film’s Jacob Hall reviewed the film out of last month’s Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas and had (almost) nothing but positive things to say, praising the horror flick:
“Rare is the horror movie that can mine so much sheer terror from being in a room with a man who prides himself on being able to talk his way through someone’s defenses. We use ‘skin-crawling’ a lot when we talk about horror cinema, but the sheer ickiness of Grant’s performance, its pompous escalation, makes the epidermis twitch. It’s powerful, disconcerting filmmaking.”
This unholy setup in the creepiest house imaginable comes from the minds of directorial duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, previously known for their work on 2019’s “Haunt,” the Adam Driver-starring dinosaur blockbuster “65,” and their writing work on the original “A Quiet Place.” And while their leading man Hugh Grant might be stealing all the headlines, he’s joined by Sophie Thatcher as Sister Barnes and Chloe East as Sister Paxton, both of whom are in for the fright of their lives. Whether they make it out or not — and in one piece, at that — is anybody’s guess. We can’t wait to find out once “Heretic” knocks on the door of theaters everywhere November 8, 2024.
