Heretic’s directors on crafting their new horror villain: ‘This has to be Hugh Grant’

When codirectors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods started reasoning astir who could play the antagonist successful their caller fearfulness flick Heretic, they knew helium had to person a fewer circumstantial characteristics. The movie is astir a antheral who lures missionaries into his home, yet turning a pleasant chat astir religion into a nightmare scenario. So helium had to beryllium capable to disarm with charm and humor, earlier switching gears to go aggravated and terrifying. “He had to person these moments of feeling dangerous, of feeling safe, contradictory traits that had to coalesce into something,” says Beck.

Early connected successful the casting process, the brace landed connected a astonishing sanction — and they couldn’t fto it go. “As soon arsenic we thought astir him we were like: ‘This has to beryllium Hugh Grant,’” says Beck. “That’s the lone idiosyncratic we could spot successful this role, due to the fact that helium checked each of those boxes.”

The thought of putting you astatine easiness is pivotal to the movie and character. Heretic starts retired with 2 young Mormon missionaries — Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) — who attack the incorrect location portion proselytizing door-to-door. At first, Grant’s Mr. Reed seems wholly harmless. He wears a cozy cardigan, stumbles implicit his words, makes silly jokes, and offers his guests Cokes. His location is filled with the odor of a baking blueberry pie. But eventually, the cracks commencement to show, and Reed shifts to preaching his ain beliefs earlier moving successful a overmuch much sinister direction.

The quality was inspired by a premix of real-world figures, including notable atheists similar Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens arsenic good arsenic the cult person Keith Raniere. The directors spent astir 4 months emailing backmost and distant with Grant, arsenic helium picked isolated the character, peppering them with questions astir Reed’s origins and beliefs. “I deliberation done those conversations the quality started getting clearer and clearer to each of us,” Woods explains.

Raniere, successful particular, influenced Grant’s instrumentality connected Reed. Grant “was funny successful the connection crockery that Raniere is susceptible of conjuring successful a mode that makes him astir consciousness smarter than helium really mightiness be,” says Woods. “He besides responded to the mode helium creates the illusion of listening, which makes him look little threatening.”

The directors judge that Grant’s past work, peculiarly his aboriginal vocation arsenic a bumbling romanticist drama star, assistance acceptable the anticipation that this isn’t a quality to beryllium feared. “Early successful his career… helium didn’t consciousness threatening astatine each successful immoderate of those roles,” Beck says. “But arsenic soon arsenic you’re putting him into a movie that has the facet of a suspense thriller, and he’s starting to situation successful a mode that you’ve ne'er rather seen, it weaponizes what we different cognize of him.” Woods adds, “We’re leaning heavy connected his charisma and charm and each the things we cognize and emotion him for.”

In a batch of fearfulness movies, it’s hard to judge characters volition instrumentality astir successful a unsafe situation. But successful Heretic, you tin recognize it; the informing signs are subtle astatine first, and erstwhile they go much overt, well, it’s excessively late. And that’s owed to Grant’s quality to showcase some sides of the quality truthful convincingly, making his guests — and viewers — consciousness initially comfortable.

“He’s comic and open-minded, helium wants to perceive what they person to say,” Woods says of the archetypal dynamic betwixt Mr. Reed and the 2 missionaries. “There’s this feeling of 2 young women that are talking to an older antheral who appears to beryllium precise knowledgeable astir their religion and each religions. So we bargain that they are sitting determination and engaging successful this topic. And their champion play is to politely perceive to him and past extricate themselves from the situation.”

There’s different facet to Grant’s quality that makes him scary, thing that volition beryllium acquainted to anyone who spends overmuch clip connected the internet: he’s a statement bro. The movie is astir Reed convincing Barnes and Paxton of his ain beliefs. Without spoiling the specifics, helium holds a peculiar disdain for astir each organized religion. The speech with the missionaries is astir a game. He has studied for a beingness truthful that helium tin expect their questions and decision them with logic. Reed doesn’t person overmuch involvement successful proceeding what the sisters truly person to accidental — helium conscionable wants to beryllium himself right, utilizing each of the characteristics that Grant embodies truthful well.

“What scares america the astir is idiosyncratic that approaches thing with truthful overmuch certainty that they’re unwavering,” says Beck. “The large happening astir sermon and debates is that you’re actively listening. Something astir the movie that we’re excited astir is that we tin propulsion successful each of these questions and speech pieces, and Reed tin consciousness similar that feline connected Reddit.”

Heretic is successful theaters connected November 8th.