‘Heretic’ Review: Hugh Grant is a Creep and a Weirdo in Deviously Devilish Debate About Religion | TIFF

Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton are doing missionary work for the Mormon Church. Paxton (Chloe East from The Fabelmans) is a sweet, bubbly chatterbox, while Barnes (Sophie Thatcher from Yellowjackets) is a little more reserved, and perhaps a little less sure of her faith. She’s the more experienced of the two, though, with “eight or nine” conversions under her belt. She’s determined to get Paxton her first when they pull up on their bikes to the house of one Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who requested more information on the church. Mr. Reed is an amateur theologian with lots of thoughts about not just Mormonism but all religions. In fact, he doesn’t seem to need more information about the church at all, seemingly far more interested in debating the Mormon doctrine and the very nature of belief with the girls. The longer they stay, the more scared they become. They’re not allowed to be in a room alone with a man, but Mr. Reed keeps making excuses for his wife and avoiding their pleas to meet her. When they finally determine that they need to leave, Reed apologizes, saying that they’re free to leave, but the front door’s deadbolt is on a timer and won’t open until morning. The only way out is through the back of his house, which they can only get to by playing a game. They must pick one of two doors to go through based on their faith, which Reed labels as “Belief” and “Disbelief.” Reed claims to have discovered the one true religion, and is ready to show them a miracle. Whatever this miracle is, will the girls be able to survive the night?

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’s Heretic often feels less like a movie and more like a college-level theology seminar. For a horror film, it’s incredibly talky – the first half is set almost entirely in Reed’s living room, with Grant lecturing the girls about religious history and doctrines and them pushing back when he becomes too critical of Mormonism or religious faith in general. It would be a chore to sit through except for the fact that Beck and Woods’s screenplay is just as funny as it is smart, and doesn’t merely skim the surface of the debate. Nothing is off the table as Reed slowly attempts to dismantle the girls’ entire belief system by interrogating why they believe in their heavenly father at all: Do they actually believe in their faith, or is it merely received wisdom from their elders that they refuse to let go of? Punctuated with sharp one-liners and surprising metaphors, the screenplay engages the audience in the conversation so much that you might forget for long stretches that you’re supposed to be watching a horror movie. Or, rather, you might, if it wasn’t for Grant’s tremendous performance.

Perfectly blending his undying charm with the dark side that has marked the latter half of his career, Grant sinks his teeth into the meaty role of Mr. Reed with the ferocity of a hungry tiger, always ready to pounce on anything the girls say. His ability to turn on a dime from friendliness to imperiousness only adds to the character’s terrifying qualities, as does the actor’s megawatt smile, here given an extra dark twist that instantly makes you uncomfortable. The showy nature of the role allows Grant to showboat through singing Radiohead’s “Creep” and let loose with a terrifying(ly accurate) Jar-Jar Binks impression, but the highlight is a mid-film dissertation on iteration, likening the “big three” monotheistic religions to different versions of the board game Monopoly. The scene as a whole perfectly encapsulates the playfulness and depth of the screenplay, causing you to laugh hysterically at the idea and then lean forward in your seat the deeper into his argument Reed goes. It’s one of the cleverest, most engaging screenplays of the year, leaving the audience with plenty to chew on and discuss when they leave the theater. 

As good as the screenplay and Grant are, the film’s secret MVP may actually be cinematographer Chung-Hoon Chung, who devises some devilishly fun camera moves that heighten the tension. The key trailer moment when Sister Barnes discovers the pie they’d been smelling was actually from a scented candle is much more fun in the full film, as the camera tracks with the candle as she turns it around, forcing the audience to experience Barnes’s anxiety right alongside her. Dread hangs over every shot in Reed’s house thanks to the low lighting and diorama-like set design courtesy of Philip Messina. When the film goes deeper and darker for the big climax, the lighting shifts to create deeper and darker shadows in which the many statues and mysterious figures can hide, without ever being so dark that you can’t make out anything that’s going on.

For their part, East and Thatcher prove their scream queen bona fides, displaying a level of intelligence and resilience that’s rare for horror heroines. Everything that happens feels chillingly real in large part because of the actresses’ investment in the characters. They more than hold their own opposite Grant, making for a thrilling battle of wills. Even when things threaten to go off the rails in the last act, you buy into it because of how genuinely they react. It also helps that by that point, the film has done the work to engage the audience so that they’re fully invested in the film’s world. When Reed reveals his ultimate purpose, as well as the one religion to rule them all, it’s a satisfying moment because of how the screenplay has gotten us to that point. The ultimate message of Heretic may not be as deep as the film thinks it is, but its setup is delivered with such entertaining conviction and careful thought that you’re in for the ride. And what a ride this is. Heretic wants to engage the audience’s brains as much as their adrenal glands, and it succeeds at that with visual and verbal panache.

Grade: A-

This review is from the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival where Heretic had its world premiere. A24 will release the film in the U.S. on November 15, 2024.