Hugh Grant takes a turn at horror

 

   Two young Mormon women on a mission knock on the door of a man who seems amenable to hearing their pitch. Acting the kindly older gentleman, the bespectacled fellow invites the evangelizing duo into his home for talk and a piece of freshly baked blueberry pie. 

 You needn't know much about movies or have seen the trailer for Heretic to guess that a downward spiral awaits.

  Notable for allowing Hugh Grant to display a smug, intellectualized form of evil.  Grant's Mr. Reed almost immediately begins challenging the faith of his visitors (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East), missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

    Mr. Reed revels in his well-honed mental agility. He claims to have spent years searching for the one true religion. He delights in debunking every religious idea he assumes the young missionaries take for granted. Mr. Reed even references Mormon material in his attempt to undermine the women's faith. 

    Grant seems to be having as much wicked fun as Mr. Reed. He delivers lengthy monologues, one of which is based on the idea that the game Monopoly qualifies as an apt metaphor for religion. He references Radio Head's music and speculates on how popular culture might one day evolve into religion. Could Jar Jar Binks be a holy figure in the future?

     All of this unfolds with an irreverence that's more witty than outrageous, and as Mr. Reed declaims, the personalities of the two women begin to clarify. Thatcher portrays Sister Barnes, who wasn't raised as a Mormon, smartly parries with Mr. Reed. Sister Paxton seems more reluctant to engage.

    Both women, of course, are terrified when they realize they’re locked in a house where Mr. Reed slowly reveals his sinister intentions. Oh, and by the way, no shy wife putters around the kitchen, as Mr. Reed initially claims, a ploy to calm any rising anxiety the women are sure to feel.

     Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers with John Krasinski of A Quiet Place,  deftly set things in motion as we wait for the movie to bare its horror fangs. When we learn that Mr. Reed’s isolated home contains secret chambers, the aroma of conventional horror becomes too prominent to ignore.

     No fair telling more. Know, though, that Heretic stands a cut above typical Hollywood helpings of blood and guts. Too bad a wobbly third act feels like a betrayal of the  unease created of earlier scenes, which -- at least by horror standards -- prove refreshing. Heretic is at its creepy best when Mr. Reed wields his most powerful weapons: verbal assaults on his prey's sense of security.