Heretic
“I think it is good to be religious, to find your faith in a doctrine you actually believe.” - Mr. Reed
What a year for horror. Maybe I am a horror fan now? Longlegs, The Substance, Late Night with the Devil, and Strange Darling make up some of my favorite watches of the year over 10 months in. Now, does this match up? Not entirely. A dinner debacle caused the missing of the first 5 or so minutes, but I was immediately drawn in. What a casting and performance from Hugh Grant. His ability to lead a very dialog driven horror film was in my opinion a master class. Sadly though, beyond that the movie starts to have a few problems. Most importantly, after a great first act, I feel like it loses its footing. A story that begins to drag and get away from itself is the outcome. I was hoping that it would all come full circle, but I think what was thought to be a powerful ending turned into a flop. Overall, the concept has still been circling my head and a want for more Hugh Grant villain roles is very alive. Paddington 2 to this, talk about an elite resume of antagonists! If you are an A24 fan or a horror fan this is a must watch!-J
Two major complaints: the trailer and the final act. The trailer for this effectively spoiled what could have been a more impactful thriller, though it was still very intense despite this. If you can avoid the trailer, do so. The final act, as Jord mentioned, is certainly weaker than the rest of the movie. That said, Hugh Grant is SO GOOD none of that even matters. The logic for his character is completely sound, despite some poor choices in how it culminated, and it made for a very clever throughline in Heretic, as his motive drives the whole story. One minor complaint: the two protagonists Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East didn’t seem consistently written. Again, easily forgiven under the weight of how enraptured you’ll be with Hugh Grant. It’s not overly scary, but if you like thrillers, I’m sure you’ll love this.
-Z
