Heretic
A24 | Release Date: November 8, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 49 Critic Reviews
Positive:
43
Mixed:
4
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Original-CinChris KnightNov 8, 2024
Expect deep conversations to follow your screening. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonNov 6, 2024
A mini-masterpiece, with lean filmmaking and lots of surprises. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithNov 7, 2024
Although it is unashamedly a genre piece, Heretic is not only an expertly engineered work of suspense but also an ingeniously structured colloquy about the most deeply held belief systems. Read full review
88
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 8, 2024
Heretic leans on horror and serial killer thriller conventions for its plot and rising suspense. The foreshadowing is obvious, but the ways it is deployed always surprise and chill. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliNov 8, 2024
It gets under the skin and into the mind and does what good psychological horror does best: leaves the viewer unsettled and perhaps a little shaken even after the end credits roll and the lights turn back on. Read full review
85
LooperReuben BaronSep 19, 2024
The only thing holding Heretic back from instant classic status is its final act, where some of the big secret reveals end up a bit disappointing after so much great build-up. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubMatthew JacksonOct 3, 2024
Divisiveness aside, and despite a few stumbles in pacing as it pivots from cool premise to interesting conclusion, Heretic is a wonderfully effective, chilling thriller from two of the best genre storytellers currently in the game. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyMaureen Lee LenkerSep 10, 2024
Never has pondering theology been so devilishly entertaining — and amen to that. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNov 8, 2024
Grant’s turn in Heretic is not just a great role that commands attention, it’s also a part that requires a dash of that Hugh Grant charm to pull off. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredCarolyn JenkinsNov 8, 2024
Heretic is a genuinely unsettling psychological horror, but it suffers from having one too many red herrings. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Xan BrooksNov 4, 2024
It’s a tense, tight fairground ride of a film. Read full review
80
NMELou ThomasNov 1, 2024
Among the best horror films of the year. Read full review
80
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyNov 1, 2024
While Beck and Woods flirt with convention in the film’s later stages, as it grows wilder and more gruesome, Heretic is a wordy horror that holds up surprisingly well under scrutiny. Read full review
80
EmpireJames DyerOct 31, 2024
An incredibly tense, tightly contained bottle horror, showcasing a genuinely chilling turn from Hugh Grant. You’ll never watch Notting Hill the same way again. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawOct 31, 2024
Heretic is gruesome and bizarre and preposterous, the third aspect made palatable by Grant’s dapper performance of evil. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesTara BradyOct 30, 2024
Chan-wook Park’s regular cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung trains his camera on dark, snaky corridors and Thatcher and East’s terrified faces as the Mormon girls realise the hopelessness of their predicament. It’s no fun for them, but it’s never dull for us. Read full review
80
Little White LiesLeila LatifOct 29, 2024
Heretic may seek to rock your faith in the divine, but it truly fortifies one’s belief in Hugh Grant. Read full review
80
Time OutOlly RichardsOct 28, 2024
It’s a tremendously enjoyable type of horror, full of giggle-inducing jump scares, but sending you off with some intelligent questions to gnaw on. Read full review
80
SlashfilmJacob HallSep 25, 2024
Eventually, Heretic does evolve into something a bit more familiar, shedding the heart-pounding sense of pure wrongness that defines the first hour in favor of more action, violence, and traditional excitement. And it's all very well-executed, frequently very scary and, honestly, probably the right choice for filmmakers who clearly care about their audience. Read full review
80
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiSep 11, 2024
Heretic knows exactly how to keep us mesmerized. It's a unique horror experience that's sure to have everyone talking. Read full review
75
Washington PostJen YamatoNov 8, 2024
Written and directed by “A Quiet Place” scribes Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, “Heretic” builds suspense through ideas and argument, allowing both sides to score points when it comes to organized religion. Read full review
75
ABC NewsPeter TraversNov 8, 2024
Hugh Grant uses his charm for evil in this surprisingly provocative cat-and-mouse game about the meaning, if any, of religion in a godless modern world. The dreamy romantic Grant of yore has been replaced by a diabolical presence eager to send us all to hell. What fun. Read full review
75
ConsequenceLiz Shannon MillerNov 7, 2024
Grant’s performance makes this film worthy of note. But expect to leave Heretic with perhaps less faith in mankind than you had already. (Wherever your levels were to begin with is a whole other question.) Read full review
75
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonNov 4, 2024
Though the plot gets a tad thin toward the end, “Heretic” does a good job of pelting us with uncomfortable questions. Read full review
75
The Associated PressMark KennedyNov 4, 2024
So beautifully constructed and acted in the first half is “Heretic” that you won’t really notice when it turns into a horror movie. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineMark HansonSep 12, 2024
Heretic intriguingly plays with our expectations of who the heroes and villains are in this scenario. Read full review
75
The Daily BeastEsther ZuckermanSep 10, 2024
Even when Heretic slides into nonsense, it's always fun to watch thanks to the excellent trio of performances with Grant setting the kooky tone. Read full review
75
The Film StageJared MobarakSep 10, 2024
It’s a helluva ride through the annals of religious history and the ways in which the concept of God has been bought and sold by charlatans and pop culture. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoSep 10, 2024
It’s designed to quicken your pulse and your mind at the same time, which is too rare in genre filmmaking. It’s also gorgeously made, and wonderfully performed. Read full review
75
The PlaylistAnkit JhunjhunwalaSep 10, 2024
With a minimalist production, an enormous burden is placed on the actors to engage audiences, and all three performers come through. Read full review
70
Rolling StoneDavid FearNov 8, 2024
To say that this horror movie hits all of the marks it needs to hit would be just south of blasphemous. The manner in which Grant both grounds the material and lobs it into over-the-top territory, however, is simply divine. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerNov 8, 2024
There’s something rattling around, somewhere in Heretic, dealing with the power and limitations of belief, a movie that aspires to the deviousness of something like Barbarian, to which its setting bears the mildest of superficial resemblance. At some point, it escapes into the night without much trace. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshNov 8, 2024
The overall tension allows us to skim over the flaws and foibles in the script, especially when the resolution is so hard-fought. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisNov 7, 2024
Grant is clearly having a lot of fun in Heretic, and it’s enjoyable watching him go hard here with cold, predatory eyes and a smile that turns from uneasily friendly to straight-up fiendish. Read full review
70
ColliderRoss BonaimeSep 16, 2024
Heretic is a clever twist on the religious horror genre, bolstered by three strong performances, particularly Grant’s gregarious yet haunting Mr. Reed. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeSep 11, 2024
The relationship between Paxton, Barnes and Mr. Reed remains the most absorbing thread throughout Heretic. Even when the screenplay heads into deflating territory — trading potential acerbity for more neutral conclusions — their cat-and-mouse game keeps us curious and faithful. Read full review
70
IGNA.A. Dowd Sep 10, 2024
Heretic’s slow-simmering first half is much better than its second, but the movie keeps you on your toes throughout. Most of its deranged charge comes from Grant, finding darkness under the pleasant hallmarks of his aging-star persona. Read full review
70
Vanity FairRichard LawsonSep 10, 2024
Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, Heretic is an alternately clever and silly horror-thriller that wants to have a kicky, pointed dialogue about faith vs. reason, free will vs. preordination. It maybe doesn’t arrive anywhere profound, but it has a good time laying out its thesis. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerNov 7, 2024
Fortunately, as directors Beck and Woods have become deviously adept at giving the audience what they want – rock-solid scares. Read full review
67
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 10, 2024
If only Heretic were as serious about religion as any of its characters (either for or against), perhaps the movie’s second half wouldn’t be so quick to descend into contrived parlor tricks and too-basic displays of suspense, but Beck and Woods aren’t really in the business of pushing any buttons. Read full review
63
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenNov 8, 2024
Even as the movie itself unnecessarily spirals further into madness and attendant plot holes—perhaps inspired by the wackadoo escalations of recent horror such as Malignant, Barbarian, and Longlegs—Grant makes for a genially deranged host. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperNov 6, 2024
For the first 45 minutes or so of this well-filmed and creatively staged production, “The Heretic” flashes the potential to be one of the most memorably insane horror films of the year; unfortunately, it all comes crashing down via some increasingly outrageous, credibility-smashing twists and turns, and a disappointing reliance on well-worn horror movie tropes in the stretch run. Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldNov 6, 2024
Heretic needed some trimming, but Grant’s performance is just the right size. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyNov 1, 2024
Arrogance may be the Achilles’ heel of all Grant’s baddies, including this one, but a tip-toeing aversion to risk makes Heretic end with a whimper. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 16, 2024
Go with it, and Heretic can be an entertaining ride. It may not change your mind about religion, but you’ll never think of blueberry pie the same way again. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 10, 2024
Heretic might not be good clean fun but Grant makes it worth us getting dirty. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 10, 2024
Heretic has been crafted with expert care, and the strong performances help carry this dialogue-driven thriller. The problem is that the film’s ideas are not particularly stimulating. Read full review
38
ObserverOliver JonesNov 13, 2024
Heretic’s fatal flaw lies in its very conceit. The film seems to have forgotten that when playing cat-and-mouse games, the cat, at least, is meant to be having fun. Here no one is—not Grant and least of all, not us. Read full review
25
ObserverRex ReedNov 12, 2024
Shaving too fast with an old razor blade, I’ve had more scares than anything in Heretic from my bathroom mirror. Read full review
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