‘You’ll Find Him Utterly Terrifying.’ Critics Weigh In On Heretic, The Latest Chapter In Hugh Grant’s Villain Era
Another A24 horror arrives soon.
Spooky season may have reached its official end, but the list of upcoming horror movies continues to provide. Some of the best scary movies have been distributed by A24 in recent years, and Hugh Grant no doubt hopes to be amongst the next success stories as the star of Heretic. Grant plays Mr. Reed, who puts the faith of two Mormon missionaries to the test, and after several of the actor’s recent projects — The Undoing and Paddington 2, for example — weaponized his rom-com charm, critics are now sharing their thoughts on his latest “utterly terrifying” portrayal ahead of the film’s November 8 release.
From what we know about Heretic, Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East co-star as the young women who go knocking on Mr. Reed’s door, unwittingly setting the wheels in motion for a dangerous and terrifying fight for their lives. Unlike some of the offerings on the 2024 movie calendar, the trailer for Heretic spoils impressively little about the film, and don’t worry, I’ll keep this roundup spoiler-free to continue that trend here. In the CinemaBlend review of Heretic, Eric Eisenberg says it’s one of the year’s best horror movies, rating it 4 out of 5 stars and writing:
Mark Kennedy of the AP rates Heretic 3 out of 4 stars, saying that around the halfway point, audiences will be begging for less religion and more blood — and an “utterly terrifying” Hugh Grant will deliver. Kennedy says:
Matthew Jackson of AV Club grades the movie a B+, writing that dialogue drives the tension in Heretic and that the three central actors succeed in keeping audience members on edge for the duration of the compelling and inventive thriller. The critic says:
Siddhant Adlakha of Inverse writes that despite some inherent flaws, the upcoming A24 film is wildly exciting and is certain to keep moviegoers on the edge of their seats whilst gripping fistfuls of popcorn. The critic writes:
Patrick Cavanaugh of ComicBook.com gives it a 3 out of 5, agreeing with the critic above that Heretic isn’t presenting any real new criticisms on religion. While he says the first act shows huge promise for being one of best A24 horror movies, the tension dips as the movie progresses. Still seeing this side of Hugh Grant, as well as a different look at writers/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, is worth the price of admission. Cavanaugh continues:
Critics overall seem impressed at what Hugh Grant and his co-stars have accomplished, with Heretic earning a Certified Fresh 93% on Rotten Tomatoes as we prepare for its theatrical premiere. If you haven't gotten enough of the spooky season yet, be sure to catch this one in the theaters starting Friday, November 8.
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Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.