If religion is an opiate for the masses then the same might be said for cinema as evidenced in Heretic, an ersatz existential religious horror film that comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 21, 2025

A foreboding horror movie co-directed and written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. The duo have restructured the standard haunted house formula with the violence of ‘Saw.’ Then add a huge dose of faith elements.

| Original Score: B- | Feb 3, 2025

It does brush up against many tropes of the genre, but it is elevated to a much more intellectually terrifying level through a brilliant script by writers/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.

| Original Score: B+ | Jan 23, 2025

Heretic is as much bolstered by its lustrous script as it is by its impressive casting. [Full review in Spanish]

| Jan 23, 2025

...Heretic deserves a watch for its novelty and supreme performance by Hugh Grant.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 21, 2025

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods really stepped it up for this sinister gem and Hugh Grant will never be more unsettling than as Mr. Reed. However, I am aware that my own baggage makes this work for me in ways it might not for others.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 19, 2025

Uniquely compelling in its approach to frightening viewers, first by confining us in the home of a madman and then by putting us in the even more uncomfortable position of agreeing with some of the points he’s making.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 17, 2025

Beck and Woods have been an inseparable combo since they penned the script for A Quiet Place and with Heretic they've created something original and really meaty to mentally chew on.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 10, 2025

[Heretic] offers everything you could want in a genre film, perfectly combining suspense, tension and psychological horror. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 8, 2025

…an exciting concoction suitable to satisfy fans of the [horror] genre without straying too far from the tolerance of the general public. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 8, 2025

Grant is at a superlative level. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 7, 2025

The king of romantic comedy reinvents himself as the most cynical and shady of sophists in a clairvoyant horror farce. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 7, 2025

A psychological thriller that weaves a situation with fewer and fewer ways out for its two protagonists, and in which the greatest discovery is Hugh Grant's performance as the enigmatic Mr. Reed… [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 4, 2025

Heretic is an anxiety-inducing small journey that leaves you praying this isn't the last we see of Grant in the world of horror.

| Jan 3, 2025

Whether you agree or not with the thoughts being discussed, the fact that Hugh Grant is the one saying it makes it extremely watchable. The film stumbles towards the end, but manages to still cross the finish line before completely collapsing on itself.

| Jan 2, 2025

What is clear is that, within its potential symbolism, the film suggests a critical look at the anti-religious discourse, and, in general, a fairly reasonable criticism of the world of academia. [Full review in Spanish]

| Dec 31, 2024

Watch the film for the superb acting on display by Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East and the various twists in the plot. Heretic doesn't prove or disprove the importance of religion. Watch it for the plot and not for the intellectual discussion.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 30, 2024

Far-fetched plot twists and too-on-the-nose moments don’t deter Grant from arguably his best performance. Gone is the slick, magazine-cover rom-com star, and in his place is a multi-faceted performer who can give a chilly monologue some conviction.

| Dec 29, 2024

[Heretic’s] willingness to engage with complex themes and take certain narrative risks sets it apart from more formulaic entries in the genre. While the execution isn’t perfect, the film’s boldness and strong performances make it a memorable watch.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 27, 2024

This smart, tense horror movie is almost all talk, and yet it manages to feel cinematic thanks to its cunning set design, editing, and camera movement, as well as three finely tuned performances.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 25, 2024