Movie Review: Heretic, Starring; Hugh Grant, Chloe East

Going into Heretic, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve never been into many of Hugh Grant’s films, but I respect the hell out of him as an actor and find him to have a very charming personality. So, I was willing to give the film a chance, especially with it being billed as a religious horror film.

Walking out of the film, I can say that Heretic was one of my favorite films of the year.

While the film delivers some pulse-pounding scenes and a few jump scares here and there, Heretic thrives off of a wonderful performance from Grant. His wit and charm make you want to sit and have blueberry pie with his character, Mr. Reed. In fact, the screening I attended was a “sensory screening” where blueberry pie was served, and the scent of blueberry pie was pumped into the theater during a pivotal scene of the film.

Chloe East (Sister Paxton) and Sophie Thatcher (Sister Barnes) hold their own with Grant, portraying a pair of Mormon missionaries who are naive to the big world, as portrayed in the beginning of the film when the two are chatting about male anatomy and a pornography film, one of the lighter moments in the film.

The two girls are sent to Mr. Reed’s home, as he has requested more information on the word of Joseph Smith. The Mormon missionaries let Reed know they cannot enter the home unless another woman is present to which Reed lets them know his wife is in the other room, to which the girls gladly accept the invitation into the house. Once in the home, Mr. Reed is quite charming and upbeat, as Grant can only be. He questions the girls about their faith, as well as the controversies in the Mormon church. While doing this, directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods keep the camera on Grant just enough to give you an ominous vibe about his character. The young missionaries start to question Mr. Reed’s intentions once they realize his wife may not be in the house. But, as naive as they are, they are lured into Mr. Reed’s study, a room filled with books about different religions. He begins to have an intellectual debate with the girls, and it soon becomes clear to our protagonists that Mr. Reed has no intention of letting his guests leave.

While watching Heretic, I couldn’t help but think back to one of my favorite 2023 films, The Menu. Ralph Fiennes character, The Chef, eventually comes face-to-face with a character who challenges his beliefs. In Heretic, Grant’s character comes face-to-face with two young ladies who question his principles. Despite all the charm that Grant’s character exudes in the film, we find out that he’s even more sinister.

Billed as a horror film, I found Heretic to be more of a thriller, especially with the landscape of the horror genre today. Compared to horror films like Terrifier and slasher films that seem to be the norm in the horror world today, Heretic is tame. However, while not overly violent, the film will have you on the edge of your seat and at times, a bit mortified at Mr. Reed’s actions. Great acting and directing more than make up for the shallow story, actually catapulting Heretic from just your run of the mill thriller to one of the better films of 2024.

Heretic gets an A-.