Hugh Grant plays ‘sadistic' games in new horror movie hailed by critics

Hugh Grant's ability to transform into a terrifying villain in his new horror movie Heretic is being hailed by critics everywhere.

Heretic follows a pair of young female Mormon missionaries, who go door to door preaching, with most of those doors slammed in their faces. However, Grant’s Mr. Reed warmly welcomes them when they come knocking, before subjecting them to terrifying tests and games which question the very foundations of religion.

Heretic is written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place) and has already received a score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes after receiving rave reviews from all major critics.

The Guardian's Benjamin Lee praised the Love Actually star’s performance, writing, “Grant tears into it with such ebullient vigour that it feels as if he’s been waiting for something like this for decades, a performance of total freedom and what seems like genuinely giddy pleasure. He gives us flashes of the same disarming charm we associate him with, but here it’s used as part of his weaponry as he tries to cajole his opponents into playing his sadistic game.”

Film critic Bilge Ebiri wondered if Grant has always been the villain in a review written for Vulture: “In some ways, it’s a classic Hugh Grant role: We recognize all those familiar mannerisms and tics and gestures that once helped him charm his way to the A-list in hits like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill.”

“But now that the floppy hair is gone and the wrinkles have set in and the voice has become gravelly, the persona has been poisoned. By the time it’s all over, it’s hard to imagine anyone else pulling off this role, which feels like it’s in conversation with the actor’s earlier years. It’s enough to make one ask, Has Hugh Grant always been the villain?”

Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson hailed the Wonka star's incredible dialogue in the movie: “It’s also quite nice to see a horror movie that is so largely focused on talk. And what a talker Grant is, during this ongoing realignment of his star profile. If someone had told me back in the floppy-haired 1990s days, or the rakish early 2000s ones, that Grant would someday arrive at this kind of role, I’d have scarcely believed them.”

“But Grant continues to prove himself an adept character actor—he may always be playing some version of Hugh Grant, but he’s been ever resourceful in bending the trope of himself into various shapes. It’s not quite transubstantiation, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a small miracle, either.”

Hugh Grant's fans can see his praise-worthy performance in Heretic in theaters from November 1 in the U.K. and November 8 in the USA.