Heretic
Directed by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
A diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) ensnares two young missionaries in his terrifying game of cat-and-mouse when they knock on the wrong door and are forced to prove their faith.
- rg940010 December 2024Another excellent horror-thriller in a year rife with them. Heretic is a Hitchcock-esque movie, centered around a limited cast in a limited setting with its narrative thrust centered around dialogue-driven tension. Similar setups in recent years include 10 Cloverfield Lane, Split, and a host of others. Bafflingly, the movie opens up a weirdly comedic scene centered on sex whose purpose still eludes me. However, it quickly shifts to Hugh Grant's strange house. Most of the movie centers around him throwing religious thought experiments at the two young missionaries, trying to play mind games with them. As the movie ventures deeper and deeper into his house, things become more unsettling as both the viewer and the characters try to figure out exactly what he wants. The movie takes a lot of twists and turns, but most of it revolves around this dynamic of Hugh Grant's character trying to make some sort of elusive point to these characters. I was not expecting philosophical and religious discussions to be so integral to the movie. While the movie doesn't have jump scares, it does a great job of building atmosphere through its setting and dialogue. At times, the movie can feel a bit far-fetched and over-the-top, but not in a way that broke my immersion. Finally, while the trio of Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East may not have the eye-catching style of acting that anchored a lot of the other excellent horror movies this year, all three of them are great at subtly enhancing their characters. Hugh Grant does an excellent job at playing polite and kind while maintaining that constant sense of creepiness, and Sophie Thatcher's dread and frustration are palpable throughout. However, it is Chloe East who steals the show, managing to cover and convey a wide spectrum of emotions through the entire runtime of the movie. If you enjoy these limited cast, limited setting, dialogue driven thrillers a la Hitchcock, or if you just want to watch a lot of discussions around religion, I highly recommend Heretic.
- DJ16 November 2024Absolutely excellent film and beautifully shot. Every word had a meaning so pay full attention to all details. I would rate Grants performance with Lithgow from Dexter. Full dread from minute 1 until the end. Also, if religious topics are your cup of tea this will knock your socks off. Best film of 2024.
- ርልዪረ7 February 2025A masterclass in acting from Hugh Grant, whose choices of roles in the second part of his career have been staggeringly good. While he was always good as the charming fop he usually played in romantic comedies, his more recent roles have revealed what a deep layer of talent and variety he possesses. Chloe East's performance as Sister Paxton is also a marvelous character arc. No spoilers, but she changes over the course of the story, and I couldn't point to a specific moment when it happened. The photography and score heighten the suspense very effectively. But we really are watching this for Grant, and his Mr. Reed is incredibly nuanced and accomplishes the changes from warmth, to unsettling, to terrifying with the smallest facial movements and inflections of tone. It's a very contained but scary villain. Highly recommended!
- stuhannaford12 May 2025Whilst it perhaps loses its way a little in the final act, Grant’s devilish performance keeps you at the edge of your seat throughout. You are kept guessing about the true nature of ‘truth’, swayed backwards and forwards from door to door, between good and evil, or real and imagined. The build up to the film’s climax is so strong that inevitably, it fails to live up to expectations, but is a film worthy of a second viewing.
- M0NKYNUTZ9 December 2025Hugh Grant is chillingly impressive in this role. He should have stepped away from romance years ago, perhaps this is much closer to his true self. Loved the premise and even delved into some history after watching Heretic. Although I have never encountered door knockers like this, once I got over that unrealistic situation I was gripped. Well worth a watch, 3* and below reviewers.. was your popcorn laced?
- Kevin Ward1 July 2025Oooh this is my sh🤩. Loved every second of this dialogue driven thriller that’s almost like an iteration of Saw, but for religious ideologists. Such a twisted and clever almost philosophical exploration of faith and belief, as well as the role of religion as a means of control. Hugh Grant is excellent but I loved both Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East. Religious horror bias, but this also has one of my other favorite horror tropes. 🤫 Some creative camera work in a few pivotal moments were really cleverly conceived. Thrilling from start to finish. I was so locked in I didn’t even recognize Topher Grace until I saw his name in the credits. Bonus points for the delicious slice of blueberry pie at our screening. That is definitely a first. Highly recommend. Make it a double feature with Conclave, perhaps.
Heretic Trivia
Heretic was released on 1 November 2024.
Heretic was directed by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods.
Heretic has a runtime of 1h 51m.
Heretic was produced by Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, Stacey Sher, Jeanette Volturno, Julia Glausi.
A diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) ensnares two young missionaries in his terrifying game of cat-and-mouse when they knock on the wrong door and are forced to prove their faith.
The key characters in Heretic are Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher), Sister Paxton (Chloe East).
Heretic is rated 15.
Heretic is a Horror, Thriller, Comedy film.
Heretic has an audience rating of 7.6 out of 10.
Heretic had a budget of US$10M.
Heretic has made US$51.9M at the box office.