Heretic (2024) – Film Review

Directors: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Cast: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East
Certificate: 15

By David Reid

It could be said that all films start with a trailer — a taster course to whet our appetite for something much larger. The trailer for this film is, arguably, the best of the year. It opens in small-town, modern-day America, where two young female missionaries from the Church of the Latter-day Saints are knocking on doors as part of their mission and being consistently turned away by householders.

This changes when they knock on a door opened by Hugh Grant. He seems pleased to see them and invites them inside. They hesitate before crossing the threshold of his home, asking if anyone else is present. He reassures them, explaining that his wife is in the kitchen, baking a pie. Once inside and seated, it’s confirmed that the visitors can indeed smell the pie cooking. The gaze of one missionary then settles on a candle in the room, labelled ‘blueberry pie’. A close-up of Hugh Grant’s expression suggests that this encounter may not end well for everyone involved.

This premise immediately draws the viewer’s attention. It is clear that Hugh Grant is playing against type here, as he did, rather wonderfully, as the wisecracking villain in Paddington 2 and with a scene-stealing cameo as a crotchety Oompa Loompa in Wonka. Unsurprisingly, the trailer montage grabs our attention. Can the notable Hugh Grant pull off another surprising and entertaining performance—this time as the lead in a psychological horror? We’re intrigued.

“Unsettling”

The film itself, more or less, follows the details and timeline set out in the preceding trailer during the opening scenes. As you may surmise, the two young women find themselves in a neat yet old-fashioned living room with Hugh Grant’s character, Mr Reed, as their host. We learn that it was not by chance that Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) arrived at Mr Reed’s door on an overcast afternoon. He has specifically requested to hear more about the teachings of their particular branch of religion. Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods – whose previous work includes the well-received psychological horror A Quiet Place – place the action in a dimly lit lounge, intensifying our sense of discomfort and foreboding.

Feeling increasingly in control of the situation, Mr Reed takes matters further with his guests. It transpires that his interest is more than passing; he has studied religion as a subject, including theirs, in considerable depth. He explores the topic in greater detail with his guests, and by this point in the narrative, Mr Reed is very much directing the conversation—perhaps not how one might expect such an encounter to unfold.

The cinematography employs character close-ups and slow camera panning techniques to heighten the tension, complemented by an unsettling score. This effectively illustrates the growing discomfort of Sisters Barnes and Paxton, who begin to show signs of unease as they realise how the power dynamic has shifted. These are strong performances from Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, who serve as effective foils for the lead.

“Compelling”

Mr Reed then presents his overarching argument regarding religion – and its particular allure for one of the Sisters – drawing analogies with modern life. This is compelling for the viewer, and Hugh Grant shifts through his range of acting skills, moving smoothly into the more familiar suave, sophisticated persona.

To provide further details here would, I feel, spoil the enjoyment for viewers. However, as a psychological horror, discussion alone is insufficient for the genre, and the narrative takes a series of twists. For this reviewer, the nature of these twists marks a departure from the cleverness of the first two acts. As we race towards the film’s conclusion, the story veers away from the credibility that has been carefully and even painstakingly built up.

This is a real disappointment that detracts from what has come before, though it’s not a criticism of the consistently watchable Hugh Grant. It feels almost as if different directors stepped in to complete an unfinished work. By the end, we, like the two Sisters, realise we’ve been held captive to the film’s unfortunate dramatic turns in its closing third.