Hugh Grant is absolutely terrifying in A24’s horror flick Heretic

Heretic is centered connected 2 young Mormon missionaries — Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) — who aren’t having overmuch luck preaching the bully connection door-to-door. So, erstwhile they conscionable Mr. Reed (Grant), who is highly funny successful a spiritual discussion, they fto their defender down a small excessively much. But the atrocious signs are there: a woman that ne'er seems to appear, a fake blueberry pastry baking successful the oven. By the clip they recognize they request to get retired of there, it’s evidently excessively late.

Mr. Reed doesn’t instantly get convulsive oregon aggressive. Instead, helium turns the tables. After outlining his beliefs — namely that each religion is nonsense, nary antithetic than accelerated nutrient oregon Monopoly oregon popular euphony — helium becomes the 1 trying to person his caller captives. Barnes is defiant, staying existent to her beliefs contempt Reed dissuading her, portion Paxton initially conscionable says immoderate she thinks volition get her retired of the house.

What makes this truthful scary, earlier the film’s intelligence scares yet crook gruesome and violent, is Grant himself. Part of the crushed he’s played the pb successful truthful galore romanticist comedies is that helium has a precise peculiar bumbling charm. Grant isn’t the perfect, chiseled starring man. He’s awkward and comforting successful a mode that puts you astatine ease. As Mr. Reed, this disarming quality turns into a trap.

I won’t spoil excessively overmuch astir what he’s selling, but Mr. Reed is fundamentally a theological statement bro. He’s highly well-versed successful seemingly each of the world’s religions, and helium wants idiosyncratic to situation his ideas — not to alteration his caput but truthful that helium tin beryllium however astute helium is by winning the argument. He has spent his beingness anticipating questions and uncovering his answers. This pathological request to beryllium close is pushed to its utmost arsenic Heretic moves along; it starts retired a small silly and comic but yet is conscionable terrifying.

And it’s echoed successful Mr. Reed’s ain home: a lukewarm and cozy beforehand country gives mode to an unsettling labyrinth that puts Barbarian to shame. The further into its depths you see, the much fucked up Mr. Reed’s philosophies become. He conscionable can’t beryllium wrong, and he’ll bash thing to support that from happening. Those lengths scope from casual execution to singing Radiohead’s “Creep” contempt having a unspeakable voice.

The absorbing portion of Heretic isn’t its views connected religion — which, it seems, boil down to each of them being arsenic bad, though Reed’s solution turns retired to beryllium acold worse — but alternatively however Grant is the perfect conveyance to research however boring evil tin initially seem. He’s a bookish nerd successful a cardigan with dogeared copies of The Bible and The Book of Mormon. He offers you pastry and drinks erstwhile you participate his home. He’s Hugh Grant: he’s not scary astatine all. But past helium abruptly is, driven by the unit of his twisted beliefs. And that crook to panic is arsenic scary arsenic immoderate fictional monster.

Heretic hits theaters connected November 15th.