Heretic (2024)

Hugh Grant uses a Monopoly board to argue about religion in Heretic, and it’s the creepiest scene of the year. For its first hour, this is a horror movie made of conversation. Two young missionaries knock on the wrong door, and Grant’s Mr. Reed, all cardigan and cozy charm, slowly turns polite small talk into a trap. Grant is fantastic, chatty and smug and genuinely menacing, like a favorite uncle you stop visiting. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East are just as good, and the movie respects the sisters. They’re smart, they’re kind, they push back, and their faith is treated as real strength, not a punchline. The back half is where it slips. Once the talking stops, it settles into a more familiar thriller, and the ideas thin out fast. Audiences gave it a C+ CinemaScore. It made $60 million worldwide on a reported $10M. A 7.0 because the first hour is gripping and the last stretch is ordinary. $20.28 says you pull out a Monopoly board this winter and immediately think of Hugh Grant.

What works: Hugh Grant gives a career-best creepy performance, and Thatcher and East play the missionaries with intelligence and real conviction.

What doesn’t: After a gripping hour of conversation, the final act settles into familiar thriller beats and loses its sharpest ideas.

Who it’s for: Horror fans who like their scares slow and talky, and anyone who wants to see Hugh Grant play against type.