Heretic (2024)

The terrifically tense thriller is powered by Hugh Grant's showman-like villain performance that subverts expectations. It features inventive storytelling and strong central turns but may divide viewers with its third-act choices and pacing.

Hugh Grant is a horror natural in this effective psychological horror about two Mormon missionaries who encounter more than they bargained for. The film is ingenious in its casting and inventive theological torment, though the final act leans into more prototypical horror.

This creepy, slow-burning horror thriller puts the faith of young Mormon missionaries to the test in a cat-and-mouse chamber piece. Grant is a revelation shifting from genial to frightening, matched by the strong performances of the leads.

Hugh Grant is inspired casting as the unsettling villain in this spooky house chiller that mixes jump scares with intelligent questions. The directors find their feet with a tremendously enjoyable horror that twists Grant's charm into something distinctly unsettling.

Grant's riveting, poisoned-charm turn as the eerie Mr. Reed is the film's standout, elevating the three-hander horror. The film leverages his persona effectively in a story of faith-testing captivity and moral darkness.

Hugh Grant delivers a heavenly, riveting turn as the sinister host in this verbose A24 chamber horror. The film has tense and funny moments testing faith but remains too polite for true sacrilege or deeper provocation.

The film is a gimmicky, zeitgeist-surfing theological horror in which Hugh Grant entraps two Mormon missionaries for a life-or-death religious debate. The setup has a genuine tingle and strong performances, but it shifts into unconvincing Grand Guignol and plot gimmicks.

Hugh Grant plays a verbose tormentor in this elegant but ultimately empty horror-thriller about two missionaries trapped in a house for a debate on faith. The premise is simple and performances strong, but the ideas are not particularly stimulating and the film fails to fully enrapture or horrify.

The critic finds the film tedious and unscary, a hackneyed horror with religion-bashing lectures that fail to deliver. Grant's performance is decent but undermined by the weak material and direction.

The critic praises the film's tense, intellectual bottle horror and Hugh Grant's chilling turn as the lead antagonist. It highlights the strong performances, meticulous dialogue, and social politeness weaponized for suspense, though the second half loses some edge.

The critic describes the film as a likeably offbeat and mischievous showcase for Grant upending his typecasting with grandstanding monologues. It notes giggles amid the peril but finds the second half duller and more generic once the sisters go to the basement.

The critic calls it a deftly acted chamber piece that weaponizes Hugh Grant's familiar charm into menace while giving the young missionary characters intelligence and agency. She praises the strong performances and dialogue but notes some predictable horror tropes and plot mechanics.

The critic praises Hugh Grant's dapper and mischievous performance as the villainous Mr Reed, which makes the film's gruesome and preposterous elements palatable. The review highlights the chamber-piece structure involving two Mormon missionaries drawn into a psychological game of terror.

The critic highlights Hugh Grant's reptilian, persuasive performance as the villainous Mr. Reed in this religious horror chamber piece. The film excels in tense intellectual sparring and performances by the leads but falters with a shallow screenplay that avoids deeper critique of faith.

The critic finds the film an engaging horror thriller in which Hugh Grant delivers a wily, vamping performance as a seemingly charming host who turns menacing. She singles out Grant's against-type turn and the film's effective build of suspense in an ordinary home turned slaughterhouse.

The critic finds Grant the best reason to see the film and wickedly enjoyable in his macabre role tormenting trapped missionaries with rhetorical hokum. The film is praised for its first hour but criticized for ending with a whimper due to risk aversion.

The critic notes Grant has completed his journey to psychopathic monster in this sophisticated religion-themed horror that blends tropes with intellectual sophistication. Grant's late-career evil phase is highlighted as the best element.

The critic describes it as a talky, thought-provoking thriller that benefits greatly from Hugh Grant's chillingly against-type performance as a diabolical religious skeptic. He singles out Grant for making the film an entertaining ride but finds the ideas shallower than they first appear.

The critic praises the film as a smart, subversive horror-thriller that mixes genre conventions with playful commentary on belief and religion. Hugh Grant's turn as the diabolical Mr. Reed is highlighted as a standout that dismantles his rom-com image.

The critic praises Hugh Grant's spellbinding performance as the menacing Mr. Reed, highlighting the film's intellectual debate on religion and belief. They note some third-act issues but overall call it a wicked entertainment that hooks the audience.

The critic calls it an excellent dialogue-driven religious thriller with sharp tension, smart protagonists, and standout performances, particularly Hugh Grant's menacing yet charming villain. It excels in its contained first half but becomes a more conventional crowd-pleaser later.

The critic commends Hugh Grant's devilishly plausible and meticulous performance as the sadistic Mr. Reed, along with the convincing portrayals by East and Thatcher. They highlight the film's witty, fresh, and smart approach, calling it among the best horror films of the year.

Hugh Grant's charismatic yet menacing performance as Mr. Reed makes the film noteworthy as it explores religion through locked-house horror tropes. The nasty journey offers little catharsis and leaves viewers with diminished faith in humanity.

The critic finds the film a compelling drama of ideas about religion, cleverly disguised as a horror-thriller with strong performances from the three leads, especially Hugh Grant's charmingly creepy turn. It loses some intelligence when shifting to conventional scares and has a few predictable moments.

The review calls the film a feast of comedy and horror that uses religion to explore Mr. Reed's madness through psychological techniques and intellectually stimulating dialogue. Hugh Grant is singled out for his charming yet dastardly performance as the demonic homeowner.

The critic finds the film a clever twist on religious horror that prioritizes discussion of faith over scares, bolstered by strong performances especially Hugh Grant's villainous turn. The narrative loses steam in the final third.

The performances by Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East elevate the film's winding dialogues and maze-like structure into an entertaining watch. Ultimately it feels like a clever but shallow screenwriter exercise that lacks deeper thematic resonance beyond its gimmicks.