Every week, Kristopher Pollard from Milwaukee Film and Radio Milwaukee’s Dori Zori talk about movies — because that’s what you do when you’re Cinebuds.
Movie studio A24 gets a lot of credit for injecting new life into the horror genre. Talk to Me, Midsommar, The Witch, Hereditary — whoever’s making the decisions over there seems to have their finger firmly on the pulse of what notoriously passionate (and opinionated) fans of the genre are looking for.
Most recently, their loving gaze has fallen on Heretic and the familiar face of Hugh Grant playing a role that would’ve been deeply unfamiliar earlier in his career: unhinged psychopath.
The character of Mr. Reed isn’t a huge leap from Grant’s work in the past few years. He’s confidently stepped along a villainous path, primarily in a lighthearted manner, for movies like the underrated Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and the tour de force that is Paddington 2.
Heretic is not lighthearted. It is heavyhearted. Much of the weight comes from Grant’s gripping performance, but the film’s subject matter also carries some oomph (as A24’s very best films do). Religion might as well be a character in the movie, which isn’t afraid to commit huge swathes of dialogue to the exploration of faith and the meaning of life itself.
That wouldn’t work — at least not as well — without the right cast. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East click right into place as the tormented to Grant’s tormentor. But it’s likely things would fall apart without Grant bringing his unique mix of charm and smarm and menace to the proceedings.
Heretic shares that complexity by throwing philosophical ingredients into its mix of horror and psychological thriller. It does what A24 movies have been doing for the last decade or so. But does it connect with everyone?
Our focus group of two will share their surprisingly divergent thoughts on this episode of Cinebuds, which you can enjoy using the player at the top of the page or by finding us on your preferred podcast app.
