Hugh Grant in Heretic: You won’t leave re-examining your faith, but you may have a new admiration for Grant. Photo / supplied
Hugh Grant in Heretic: You won’t leave re-examining your faith, but you may have a new admiration for Grant. Photo / supplied
The biggest buzz around this existential crisis of a horror movie is seeing Hugh Grant break out into full-on villain territory. The beloved romcom hero of the 90s still sports his posh accent, foppish manner, and those endearingly twinkly, if now wrinkly, blue eyes. But this time, as reclusive EnglishmanMr Reed living somewhere remote and snowy in the US, there are much darker intentions behind his charm.
After contacting their church for information, two young Mormon missionaries, Sisters Barnes (Sophie Thatcher, Yellowjackets) and Paxton (Chloe East, The Fabelmans), visit Mr Reed one blustery afternoon.
The more worldly Barnes makes sure to inquire whether there’s a woman at home in order for them to be allowed inside, and the exceedingly courteous Mr Reed assures them his wife is indeed in the kitchen making blueberry pie.
At first, the trio engage in a respectful, inquisitive religious debate, in which the well-read Mr Reed one-ups the girls, who grow increasingly nervous as Mrs Reed and pie fail to appear.
A Quiet Place writers and co-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods craft an incredibly tense parlour game. The first half is fascinating, as Mr Reed compares various pop songs and board games with the evolution of religions, but act two leaves a sourer taste as it ticks a few horror boxes. With nods to Dante’s nine circles of hell, the heroines are challenged to find their own “divine confirmation” but, despite the novel way the script tackles the subject, it doesn’t wholly land. Importantly for this Anglican reviewer, Heretic doesn’t really seek to offend or make a mockery of believers.
You won’t leave re-examining your faith, but you may have a new admiration for Grant, who seems to have found his midlife calling as a truly nasty piece of work.
