Hugh Grant’s new movie Heretic is one of the highest-rated horror movies of the year, currently holding a Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%. Additionally, Heretic is one of the most critically-acclaimed movies of Grant’s career. Grant is an actor not commonly known for starring in horror movies, so his turn as the diabolical Mr. Reed in Heretic is surprising. In addition to Grant, the cast of Heretic includes Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, and Topher Grace.
The story of A24’s newest horror movie follows two young missionaries, Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, who are invited into Mr. Reed’s home to talk about their faith. However, they quickly discover that Mr. Reed is not the nice man he initially seemed to be, and get caught in a horrifying game of cat and mouse within his house. The film was written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the duo known for writing A Quiet Place, and has received a plethora of positive reviews upon Heretic’s release.
Heretic’s Reviews Praise Hugh Grant’s Performance & The Religious Story
Hugh Grant Plays A Despicable Villain In Heretic
Reviews for Heretic praise it as one of the best horror movies of the year, and point out how menacing Hugh Grant is in the film. While the first half of the movie slowly builds up the tension as the three main characters move from room to room debating their religious beliefs, the second half shows exactly how sinister Mr. Reed is. In their review of the film, Empire described Heretic as “an incredibly tense, tightly contained bottle horror, showcasing a genuinely chilling turn from Hugh Grant.“
ScreenRant’s own Mae Abdulbaki echoed this sentiment, describing Grant’s Mr. Reed as “the best kind of villain — threatening, challenging, and sharp as a knife.” Speaking on the prominent religious aspect of the film, Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com noted that while there have been a lot of horror movies about violent religious zealots, Heretic is “more of a mind game, a study in not just what stories we’re told but who has been telling them to us.“
How Heretic’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Compares To Other Horror Movies
Heretic Is One Of The Highest-Rated Recent Horror Movies
Heretic is by far the most successful film of Beck and Woods’ directorial careers. While A Quiet Place’s Rotten Tomatoes score remains higher, Beck and Woods only wrote that film. Out of the movies that Beck and Woods have directed, not all of them have been loved by critics. Their 2019 horror film Haunt has 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, but two of their other recent projects, 2023’s 65 and 2015’s Nightlight, have 36% and 14%, respectively.
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A24’s New Horror Movie Is Even More Exciting Thanks To 2023’s Underrated $82 Million Stephen King Adaptation
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In the lead up to the release of Heretic, the premise of the film has been compared to other recent horror movies. While Heretic’s story is quite unique, it has been compared to Barbarian, which features a creepy, hidden area within a house, and Don’t Breathe, which includes several young people stuck in a house with a much older man. Barbarian holds an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Don’t Breathe has a score of 88%. Therefore, Heretic is currently rated higher than both of them, which proves it is a must-watch horror film.
Sources: Empire, RogerEbert.com
Two young women of faith are drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse after seeking refuge in the house of a mysterious and unsettling man. As they navigate a labyrinth of psychological and supernatural horrors, their beliefs and survival instincts are pushed to the limit.
- Director
- Scott Beck , Bryan Woods
- Release Date
- November 8, 2024
- Studio(s)
- A24
- Runtime
- 110 Minutes