Heretic revolves around two young Mormon missionaries – Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) – who aren't having much luck preaching the gospel door to door. When they meet Mr. Reed (Grant), who is very interested in a religious discussion, they let their guard down a little too much. But the bad signs are there: a woman who never seems to show up, a fake blueberry pie baking in the oven. By the time they realize they have to get out of there, it's obviously too late.
Mr. Reed does not immediately become violent or aggressive. Instead, he turns the tables. After stating his beliefs – namely, that all religion is nonsense, no different from fast food or monopoly or pop music – he becomes the one trying to convert his new prisoners. Barnes is defiant and sticks to her beliefs despite Reed's attempts to dissuade her, while Paxton initially just says whatever she thinks to get her out of the house.
What makes this film so terrifying, before the film's psychological shocks finally turn gruesome and violent, is Grant himself. One of the reasons he has starred in so many romantic comedies is because of his own particular, bumbling charm. Grant is not the perfect, buff leading man. He is awkward and reassuring in a way that is soothing. As Mr. Reed, that disarming manner becomes a trap.
I won't give too much away about what he sells, but Mr. Reed is basically a theological debater. He is extremely well-versed in seemingly every religion in the world, and he wants someone to challenge his ideas – not to change his mind, but so he can prove how smart he is by winning the debate. He has spent his life anticipating questions and finding his answers. This pathological need to be right is taken to the extreme by Heretic goes along way; it starts off a little silly and comical, but eventually it's just plain terrifying.
And it is reflected in Mr. Reed’s own house: a warm and cozy living room gives way to a disturbing labyrinth that Barbar to shame. The deeper you go, the more fucked up Mr. Reed's philosophies become. He simply can't be wrong and he will do anything to stop him. These boundaries range from casual murder to singing Radiohead's “Creep” despite having a terrible voice.
The interesting part of Heretic is not his views on religion – which, it seems, boil down to everyone being equally bad, although Reed's solution turns out to be far worse – but rather how Grant is the ideal vehicle for examining how boring evil can initially seem. He is a bookworm in a dog-eared cardigan The Bible And The Book of Mormon. He offers you cake and drinks when you enter his house. He is Hugh Grant: He is not scary at all. But then suddenly he is, driven by the force of his twisted beliefs. And this turn to terror is as terrifying as any fictional monster.
Heretic will be in theaters on November 15th.