Hugh Grant was once the affable if slightly awkward star of romantic comedies like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill. But since Guy Ritchie cast him against type in a couple of his gritty thrillers, Grant has carved out a niche for himself in playing villainous types. He was great as the main villain in Paddington 2; a slimy politician in A Very English Scandal; and recently we saw him as a sarcastic, digitally augmented Oompa Loompa in the musical drama Wonka. And now he makes his presence felt in Heretic, the new horror film from writers and directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (who previously wrote 2018’s A Quiet Place and co-directed the sci-fi flop 65).
Grant is by turns charming and creepy here as he plays the reclusive but seemingly charming, unthreatening Mr Reed. He welcomes two young Mormon missionaries into his home for a chat and to seek shelter from the storm raging outside. Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) is the more worldly of the pair and even admits that she has watched pornography, while Sister Paxton (Chloe East) is the more naive and innocent of the pair. But before too long the girls realise they’ve knocked on the wrong door. Mr Reed initially shows a keen interest in discussing religion with the eager two young missionaries, but he soon reveals a deeper knowledge than he initially claims. He begins to proselytise on what he calls “iterations”, illustrating his point by revealing how the different organised religions all seem to share a common thread. He further discusses how the board game Monopoly has evolved over the years since the 19th Century. And he even compares Radiohead’s hit Creep with The Hollies’ hit The Air That I Breathe to further prove his thesis.
The two girls grow slightly uncomfortable with the discussions and their direction and are anxious to leave. Mr Reed agrees to let them leave but he confronts them with a challenge, offering them a choice of two doors to choose from. This choice will challenge their own personal beliefs. After making their choice the two young missionaries find themselves trapped in Reed’s basement, and that’s when events take a darker and more disturbing turn as a cat-and-mouse game plays out.
Heretic is a bizarre – and decidedly unsettling – claustrophobic thriller. Beck and Woods packs some intriguing ideas into their script and make the most of their wordy script. The production design from Philip Messina (a couple of The Hunger Games movies) is superb, and the filmmakers effectively use the confined spaces to ramp up the tension. Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung (Old Boy) also works in close-up to heighten the claustrophobic atmosphere, although some of the scenes are rather darkly lit.
Heretic is essentially a three-hander drama, although Topher Grace contributes a small appearance as the church elder who goes looking for his two missing missionaries. Both Thatcher (the TV series Yellowjackets) and East (the TV series Generation) are good as the two women, bringing some nuance to their roles as they highlight their contrasting personalities. In particular, Thatcher shows a resourceful nature to her character. But the film belongs to Grant and his suave and avuncular but creepy performance as Reed. Grant’s previous appearance in a horror movie came thirty years ago with his role in Ken Russell’s ludicrous 1988 film The Lair of the White Witch. He’s perfectly cast here and appears to be having fun with his role. He completely inhabits the character.
Heretic is a small-scale psychological horror film that is unsettling, but it ends with a jarring and slightly underwhelming and formulaic climax.
Greg King
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Greg King has had a life long love of films. He has been reviewing popular films for over 15 years. Since 1994, he has been the film reviewer for BEAT magazine. His reviews have also appeared in the Herald Sun newspaper, S-Press, Stage Whispers, and a number of other magazines, newspapers and web sites. Greg contributes to The Blurb on film