Hugh Grant praised for 'reptilian' turn as horror villain in Heretic

New horror movie Heretic is letting Hugh Grant take his career into a dark new direction, one which has seen the actor be celebrated by critics for his "delicious" and "reptilian" portrayal of the film's antagonist after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The film sees the actor portray Mr Reed, a charismatic yet dangerous man who invites Mormon campaigners Sisters Paxton (Chloe East) and Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) into his home when they try to convert him. He assures the women that his wife is at home baking a blueberry pie, but soon he begins to force them to question their faith in a dark game of cat-and-mouse.

Grant, East and Thatcher stepped out onto the red carpet at TIFF to celebrate the new film, where critics were dazzled by Grant's villainous turn. Several remarked on how impressive it was to see him take on the role with such glee, with some remarking that it has allowed him to shed his rom-com past for good.

The Hollywood Reporter's Lovia Gyarkye spoke highly of the actor's performance, writing that he plays the character "with reptilian persuasiveness" and adding: "Grant, whose eager eyes and puckish smile wooed Renée Zellweger’s Bridget Jones and Julia Roberts’ Anna Scott, uses his signature charm here to test the bounds of these junior missionaries’ beliefs.

"He imbues his character, a sinister recluse, with a well-intentioned disposition that soon reveals itself to be an unsettling trap."

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Gyarkye also heaped praise on East and Thatcher who, the critic argued, more than held their own opposite the British national treasure: "East and Thatcher’s performances play a big role in keeping us hooked. If Grant is the wily villain, these actresses are the savvy horror protagonists worth rooting for."

Meanwhile The Guardian's Benjamin Lee gave the film four stars, commending the film for its sharp script that feels like "watching a juicy stage play" and that it gives Grant the ability to be "smug, sure, but also delicious in its provocations."

"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," the critic wrote. "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.

Watch: The trailer for Heretic

"His performance is of such stature that it threatens to steal the film, yet he’s matched by two crackerjack performances from Thatcher and East, who have us entirely invested in their survival."

Deadline's Damon Wise was similarly effusive with praise of Grant's performance, joking that it "might be the film to blow [his rom-com persona] to kingdom come" but that the film is not without its issues.

"It gets a little wayward toward the end, adding some more lurid surprises in the vein of 2022’s Barbarian (and, in a way, the much more extreme 2008 French movie Martyrs), but Heretic doesn’t go full Cabin in the Woods when it comes to wrapping itself up," Wise reflected.

"In fact, it’s like a more sensible, more satisfying Longlegs, a game of cat and mouse that extends to include the audience."

For IndieWire's David Ehrlich it was fun to see Grant "having the time of his life" playing Mr Reed, who is described as being a cross between his Paddington 2 villain Phoenix Buchanan and Bill Maher.

The critic wasn't completely sold on the film, though, as he argued it was "an entertainingly unambitious midnight movie" and wrote: "Most of the film is so talky that it occasionally feels like A Quiet Place scribes Beck and Woods are overcompensating for the lack of dialogue in their breakthrough hit...

"All the same, the duo create a lasting, delicious, and sometimes rather funny sense of tension as Mr. Reed teases things out, and the self-amusement of Grant’s performance proves to be infectious."

Heretic premieres in UK cinemas on Friday, 22 November.