Heretic (2024)

IMDb plot summary: Two young religious women are drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse in the house of a strange man.

Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East.

Heretic is a horror film in which two Mormon missionary women visit an older man who has expressed interest in the church. He invites them in to discuss the church further and engages in philosophical debate with them, but as the evening continues, the women start getting the sense that something is off and they might be in danger. I am 100% here for Hugh Grant only playing villains now, because he's incredible in this, as are Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East as the young missionaries. The three play their parts perfectly, balancing the psychological aspect of the horror story, and keeping me on edge the whole time while also acting perfectly in character. It's the kind of story that could easily struggle to hold up to the marvelous premise it sets up, but I was impressed with the ending as well -- it delivered exactly what I was hoping for. It very nicely balanced the unexpected with satisfying follow-through, and I had a blast watching it.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Heretic > Get Shorty

Heretic > Elf

Heretic < Two Days, One Night

Heretic > Theater Camp

Heretic > The Jungle Book (1967)

Heretic < The Last Unicorn

Heretic < Dogville

Heretic > American History X

Heretic < The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Heretic > Purple Noon

Heretic < Kung Fu Hustle

Heretic > Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Final spot: #610 out of 4039, or 85%.