'Heretic' review: Modest horror flick with devilishly good Hugh Grant

On a rainy afternoon in suburban Colorado, two young Mormons, Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher), knock on the door of a remote cottage. They're greeted by Mr. Reed, a charming Englishman who invites them in to get warm and have some freshly baked blueberry pie. They know they shouldn’t -- but Reed is played by none other than Hugh Grant, who at 64 still has the twinkling eyes and tousled hair that beguiled Julia Roberts 25 years ago in “Notting Hill.” Who could say no?

That’s the premise, and the clever casting, of “Heretic,” a horror film starring Grant in his least likely role: a total sicko. Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, of “A Quiet Place,” the film features moody cinematography from Chung Chung-hoon (2017’s “It”), claustrophobic sets by production designer Phil Messina (“The Sixth Sense”) and solid performances from its lead actors (both of whom grew up in the Mormon church). But the star attraction is Grant, employing the flustered-schoolboy persona he perfected in romcoms like “Love Actually” to play a part more reminiscent of “The Silence of the Lambs.”

Initially, the sheltered Paxton and the more worldly Barnes simply can’t believe that their chummy host is actually their captor. And despite the loudest alarm bells (the house is encased in metal, he mentions), we don’t want to believe it, either. Grant’s Reed is such an expert stammerer and eyelash-batter that he can make a line like “The front door won’t open again” sound completely harmless.

With its three characters and single setting, “Heretic” often feels like a stage play, and might have worked well as one. Reed’s theological monologues are nutty, witty and inventive – he connects Mormonism to Islam, then to board games, then to Lana Del Rey -- and his mind games can be fiendish. (Labeling two exit doors “Belief” and “Disbelief,” Reed becomes a malevolent Monty Hall.) As the plot grows more complicated and new players enter the fray, the story gets less convincing. The talky segments may not be terribly scary, but they’re the most fun.

If you see the film at an Alamo Drafthouse in New York City, you’ll be bombarded with the scent of blueberry in the auditorium. That’s a cute gimmick, though what “Heretic” really needs is a stronger screenplay and more scares. Still, Grant will pull you into this modest little horror movie and -- unlike Mr. Reed -- make you glad you stayed.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com@raferguzman