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In “Heretic,” Hugh Grant does something brand new as an actor — which is pretty shocking when you consider that the guy’s been a major movie star since the 1990s — and takes on a role that uses his sheepish British charm in the scariest way possible. Namely, he plays the “bad guy” (so to speak) in “Heretic,” a new horror thriller from Scott Beck and Bryan Woods where two Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton (“Yellowjackets” star Sophie Thatcher and “The Fabelmans” supporting player Chloe East, respectively) stumble upon the home of a recluse named Mr. Reed (Grant). Mr. Reed invites the two girls into his home, but before long, they realize he may not be receptive to their invitation into the Mormon faith, and the situation is actually much worse than Mr. Reed just being an unwilling participant; they’re actively in danger in his house.
If you missed “Heretic” during its theatrical run — or, like me, you were too much of a scaredy-cat to watch this creepy flick outside of the safety of your own home — you’re in luck. The film is now available to rent or buy on platforms like Apple TV and Prime Video; you can rent it for $19.99 or purchase it outright for $24.99. But in case you’re on the fence, what did critics think of Grant’s latest venture?
What did critics think of Heretic?
As of this writing, “Heretic” is sitting pretty with a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes with a critical consensus that declares, “Hugh Grant has infectious fun playing against type in ‘Heretic,’ a religious horror that preaches the gospel of cerebral chills over cheap shocks.” /Film’s own lead editor Jacob Hall gave the film a pretty glowing review, writing, “There’s something to be said about a movie that just hits right, and even more to be said for a movie that hits right while approaching those familiar pleasure sensors from a fresh and exciting direction. Frankly, I can’t wait to see ‘Heretic’ again.” It seems like Peter DeBruge was on the same page in his Variety review, writing, “Go with it, and ‘Heretic’ can be an entertaining ride. It may not change your mind about religion, but you’ll never think of blueberry pie the same way again.”
A bunch of critics did, to be clear, specifically mention Hugh Grant as being the film’s biggest strength. In his review for Rolling Stone, David Fear wrote, “If ‘Heretic’ proves nothing else, it’s that creepy, evil Hugh Grant is the best Hugh Grant.” Peter Travers at ABC News agreed, writing, “Hugh Grant uses his charm for evil in this provocative cat-and-mouse game about the meaning, if any, of religion in a godless modern world. The rom-com dreamboat of yore has been replaced by a diabolical presence eager to send us all to hell. What fun.” Writing for IGN Movies, A.A. Dowd more or less argues that Grant holds the film together, declaring that the “slow-simmering” first half of “Heretic” is “much better than its second, but the movie keeps you on your toes throughout. Most of its deranged charge comes from Grant, finding darkness under the pleasant hallmarks of his aging-star persona.”
Heretic earned Hugh Grant a surprise Golden Globe nod
On December 9, “Heretic” earned a fairly unexpected accolade in the form of a Golden Globe nomination — not for the overall film, but for Hugh Grant himself. This marks Grant’s seventh nomination at this particular awards ceremony — he only won once for best performance in an actor in a motion picture (musical or comedy) for 1994’s “Four Weddings and a Funeral” — and he responded in classic cheeky Grant fashion on social media. On X (formerly known as Twitter), the actor wrote, “Massive thanks to the Golden Globes for so warmly welcoming a blatant gate crasher. Also to Scott Beck and Bryan Woods for spotting my need to kill, and to A24 for sponsoring it.”
On the one hand, Grant is a Hollywood mainstay with a ton of Globe nominations under his belt, but it’s definitely worth noting that this nomination is for a horror movie, which is unfortunately and astoundingly rare during awards season. In terms of actors who have delivered incredible performances in horror movies only to be overlooked by major awards, Toni Collette in “Hereditary,” Florence Pugh in “Midsommar,” and Lupita Nyong’o in “Us” all come to mind — though that’s really just the tip of the iceberg — and it does feel like a genre bias against horror manages to prevent great and scary performances from being recognized by the Academy or the journalists who vote for the Golden Globes. Grant may not win the award for best actor in a musical or comedy — he’s up against 2024 standouts Jesse Eisenberg (“A Real Pain”), Gabriel LaBelle (“Saturday Night”), Jesse Plemons (“Kinds of Kindness”), Glen Powell (“Hit Man”), and Sebastian Stan (“A Different Man”) — but it’s a testament to how good “Heretic” is that Grant even scored a nod.
“Heretic” is available to rent or buy on major digital platforms now.
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