Hugh Grant is superbly sinister in psychological horror thriller Heretic

Film review: Heretic (15) - seen at The Light Cinema, Wisbech

Starring: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East

Directors: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods Run time: One hour, 51 minutes

Hugh Grant’s transformation from the charming leading man of blockbusting rom-coms to someone capable of playing the most sinister of roles is now officially complete.

After going bad guy on us in 2017’s Paddington 2 and 2023’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, he’s now taken on his most evil role yet… and he revels in it.

In this psychological horror thriller, Grant plays the middle-aged Mr Reed, who draws two young religious women into a game of cat-and-mouse behind the doors of his secluded home.

Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East are superbly believable as young Mormons Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, who have visited Mr Reed’s house on a bleak, wintery night in the hopes of converting him to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The film is almost split into two halves: the first hour sees Mr Reed toying with the snow-pure Sister Paxton and the more worldly-wise Sister Barnes as they try to figure out whether things are becoming as sinister as they seem. The dialogue is quite delicious as he almost teases the girls into realising the dire situation they are heading towards.

The second part of the film is full-on horror action, with some brilliant twists and turns along the way that you don’t see coming.

Mr Reed’s analogy to debunk all religions is particularly clever. It involves the board game The Landlord’s Game and how the idea was taken to make Monopoly. Then he highlights the law suit around rock band Radiohead’s hit song Creep, its resemblance to the Seventies Hollies hit The Air That I Breathe and, ultimately, Lana Del Rey’s Get Free, which also provoked civil action.

For those of you who join me in being slightly squeamish, there’s only one scene where I had to avert my eyes for a second and even the slight feeling of nausea that envoked couldn’t stop my enjoyment of this original, rip-roaring horror.

Grant is proving himself a top-class character actor in recent years and this is his best showing yet. Supported by two great young talents and a super script, this film will live long in the memory.

Rating: 9/10

By Jeremy Ransome