Richard Crouse

I join the Bell Media Radio Network national night time show “Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift” for Booze & Reviews! This week we have a look at the new Hugh Grant psychological thriller “Heretic” and I’ll tell you about the perfect drink to enjoy while watching the film.

Listen to “Booze & Reviews” HERE! (Starts at 10:43)

Could a 1000 monkeys working on a 1000 typewriters really write Shakespeare? Find out HERE! (Starts at 20:45)

SYNOPSIS: In “Heretic,” a new psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant and now playing in theatres, door-to-door Mormon missionaries Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are lured into a theological cat-and-mouse game by the curious (and possibly deadly) Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant).

CAST: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East and Topher Grace. Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.

REVIEW: Horror and religion go together like peanut butter and jam, but rarely have the two come together in such an unusual and thought-provoking way. “Heretic” is a tautly constructed thriller that questions faith, power and the very essence of belief.

From crafting a tense chamber drama with just a handful of characters and pushing interesting, provocative buttons, filmmaking duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who also co-wrote the script, do a lot of good work here, but their biggest feat is in the casting.

Hiring Hugh Grant as Mr. Reed is their masterstroke. Grant, whose last horror film was 1988’s “The Lair of the White Worm,” plays off years of goodwill earned from charming audiences with his crinkly baby blues and amiable smile. Just as he draws Sisters Barnes and Paxton (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) into his home with his polite and pious behavior, he seduces the viewer, only to double cross them as Mr. Reed’s true nature and motives become apparent. Behind the smile and sparking eyes is a guy that would make any of Grant’s former movie charmers run and hide. It plays against his well-established type and adds a layer of devilish fun to the film.

Thatcher, as the skeptical Sister Barnes, and West, as the naïve but resourceful Sister Paxton, round out the cast. Each are crucial in keeping up the film’s lively tone. This is not a horror film of jump scares. It’s meant to unsettle you with ideas and conversation. The tension comes from the conflict between Mr. Reed, who essentially believes that all religions are identical and are sold like any other commodity to customers willing to believe, and the deeply spiritual missionaries. As his questioning escalates—he’s like a stern university professor who isn’t trying to teach as much as he is trying to display how clever he is—the two young women begin to understand they are in deep trouble.

It’s a psychological thriller that eventually turns violent, and a bit more conventional, in the film’s final third, but up until then the three central performances, combined with a growing atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia, provide a fascinating, dialogue-driven game of cat-and-mouse.

Grant’s career redefining performance as the charming face of theological curiosity may be “Heretic’s” biggest draw, but the movie also delivers smart, stylish thrills. It digs deep and gets dark but never forgets to have fun.