The star of Notting Hill, Love Actually, and Paddington 2 leading an A24 horror joint? Hugh’d better believe it, buddy! After a run of increasingly villainous roles in the likes of The Gentlemen, The Undoing, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, Hugh Grant is going full horror big bad in A Quiet Place writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods' Heretic. A psychological horror that sees two Mormon missionaries (The Fabelmans' Chloe East and Yellowjackets' Sophie Thatcher) suffering the consequences of knocking on the wrong door, Heretic looks seriously disturbing. Don't believe us? Just check out the trailer below;
What did we tell you? Seriously disturbing, indeed. Now sure, this is more of a tone-setter for the film than anything else, but there's more than enough in this cat-and-mouse set-up to have us hooked. From Mr. Reed's (Grant) instantly suspicious kindly gent act and East and Thatcher's nervous threshold crossing, to the blueberry pie candle reveal, to the ominous 'BELIEF' or 'DISBELIEF' doorways and the miniature-mapped labyrinths that lay beyond them, Heretic's teaser is a textbook example of why you should never go into strangers' houses — even if they are Hugh Grant!
As for what we can expect from the film itself, here's the synopsis; “Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.”
Shot in Vancouver under an interim agreement during last year's SAG-AFTRA strikes, Heretic is currently set to release later this year Stateside. As for when we can expect to see the film hit British shores, we're not sure as of yet — though we'll update you just as soon as a release date is confirmed. But however long it takes to hit our screens, if you've been waiting for our man Hugh to make a horror, then consider your wish, er, Granted (sorry).