The horror-thriller “Heretic,” in which Hugh Grant terrorizes a pair of female missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had its world premiere Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival. The early reactions were mostly positive.
Words like “ingenious,” “brilliant,” “impressive” and “fun” were used by critics who voiced their first impressions on X, formerly known as Twitter. Not all the comments were positive, with complaints that the movie is “20 minutes too long” and that the ending is “too elaborate for its own good.”
The movie, written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (the team who co-wrote “A Quiet Place”), tells of two missionaries — played by Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”) and Chloe East (“The Fabelmans”) — who visit Grant’s character and soon find themselves trapped and facing deadly questions about their faith.
The release of the movie’s trailer in June prompted conversations among former Latter-day Saint missionaries about their own scary experiences in the field.
The film’s distributor, A24, is scheduled to release “Heretic” in theaters nationwide Nov. 15.
Here are some of the early reactions from critics, posted on X on Sunday evening:
Erik Childress, “Movie Madness” podcast • “A dark, deep dive into religion and spirituality wrapped in a horror film of true unpredictability with a villain performance by Hugh Grant for the ages that is deserving of serious award consideration. … Might be thinking all week about how M. Night Shyamalan would have royally screwed up ‘Heretic.’ Glad to see there was still an original horror concept he couldn’t destroy.”
Lauren Bradshaw, Fangirl Freakout • “Absolutely brilliant!! One of the most intelligent horror films I’ve seen. The film breezes along, with the suspense hooking you from the beginning and not letting go. I can’t imagine anyone other than Hugh Grant in a role that was seemingly made for him.”
Rendy Jones, RendyReviews.com • “‘Heretic’ is a fun philosophical thriller with a sinister Hugh Grant making missionaries do his anti-religious prison experiment. Sophie Thatcher is great as always, but Chloe East gets to shine in holy light with her divine range. It’ll finna [anger] every religious group.”
Matt Neglia, Next Best Picture • “‘Heretic’ is an ingenious screenplay from Scott Beck & Bryan Woods that will shake your religious beliefs to their core. A battle of wills as intellectualism & spirituality go head to head under the most tense and terrifying of circumstances. Hugh Grant’s devilish charm has never been put to better use in what is easily one of his best performances. Darkly humorous with a masterful handle on tone and escalating tension, even if it becomes too elaborate for its own good by the end.”
Perri Nemiroff, Collider.com • “A mighty impressive performance showcase. Yup, it is just as much fun watching Hugh Grant veer hard into dark and twisted territory as you’d hope.”
Ryan Casselman, Oscar Science • “Who knew religious studies could be this fun? ‘Heretic’ is a battle of the wits thriller that is both intellectually stimulating and surprising. Both leading actresses are pitch perfect and Hugh Grant lends his devilish charm playing a psychopathic Richard Dawkins.”
Sean Boelman, FandomWire • “‘Heretic’ asks some solidly provocative questions, but it’s wildly uneven. It’s 20 minutes too long, yet it’s still mostly entertaining — elevated by a committed, wild turn from Hugh Grant and excellent work from [cinematographer] Chung-hoon Chung.”
Jason Gorber, That Shelf • “Philosophically dense puzzle-box thriller toys with concepts as broad as theism and board games, all anchored by a delightfully daffy take by Hugh Grant. Loads of fun!”
Peter Hall, SXSW programmer • “Hugh Grant is just all-time great in ‘Heretic.’ What a hoot. Just milking every second on screen. Brilliant work. Also the first film whose credits I’ve seen declare there was no generative A.I. used in the making of the film.”
