Fans have branded Hugh Grant ‘so f**king scary’ after a secret screening of his chilling new horror film, Heretic.
The 64-year-old couldn’t have been further from his efforts on Love Actually or Bridget Jones’s Diary in the creepy flick, playing mysterious Mr Reed, who lures Paxton and Barnes (Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher) into his house after they try to convert him.
After trapping them, he puts the pair through a series of torturous psychological games and challenges to win their freedom from his house of horrors.
It’s fair to say that it’s a role we’ve never seen Hugh take on before, having previously starred in Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and the Paddington franchise, but many have described it as the best project of his career.
Following a screening at Fantastic Fest in Texas last night, rave reviews came pouring through on social media, describing his performance as the ‘icing on the cake’ of an intense scare-fest.
Flocking to Twitter, Reyna Cervantes praised: ‘Oh my god. Heretic is straight up philosophical horror.
‘Those with religious trauma or questioning their beliefs are in for such a huge treat. Watching Hugh Grant sing Radiohead and mimic Jar Jar Binks is just icing on the cake. I. Loved. It.’
‘I was not expecting Heretic of all movies to make me cry but alas here we are. Hugh Grant is so f**king scary,’ Koda agreed.
Chelsea Nicole shared: ‘Heretic: Hugh Grant is a revelation in terror. Scott Beck and Bryan Woods carry out a tense sacrament that takes relics from iterations such as SAINT MAUD and MARTYRS.
‘I’m going to be thinking about that ending for a while. #fantasticfest #secretscreening.’
John Flickinger wrote: ‘Just watched my favorite film of #FantasticFest … #Heretic is a psychological horror flick that cleverly uses hilarious pop culture analogies to debate faith, with Hugh Grant chewing up the scenery!’
As Certified Forgotten described it as ‘wonderfully twisted’, adding that Hugh’s character is ‘delightfully dangerous’, while also being ‘funny and unnerving’.
Although Heretic isn’t Hugh’s first stint as a villain, or even in a horror film, he truly relished the opportunity to embrace an evil side on the big screen.
‘Let’s face it, no one wants me to play the romantic lead anymore,’ he told Entertainment Weekly. ‘And thank God they don’t.
‘Villains have usually got a facade, and this is a very good example of that facade being important to how the story is told.’
‘Every actor really prefers it,’ he added of his villain era. ‘I think you’d be hard pushed to find an actor or actress who says, “I just like playing nice people.” They’re tough and they’re always borderline boring. They’re very difficult, nice people or heroes.
‘And there always seems to be more juice in an evil character. It’s a fascinating discussion about why that is and why audiences, from the beginning of time, have always latched onto the villains sometimes when they don’t really latch onto the good guy. So it’s always tempting for an actor.’
Heretic is scheduled to be released in the UK on November 1, and the US on November 15.
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