Heretic – 4.5 stars

The writers of A Quiet Place (Scott Beck, Bryan Woods) got their own flick, and they delivered. 

Two Mormon sisters (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) on their door-to-door proselytizing tour come to the wrong house, where Hugh Grant engages them on a religious and philosophical level, entraps them intellectually and physically, and then, puts them to the test of faith. Or at least his own perverse version of same.

His house is set up like a religious Chutes and Ladders, with wrong and right doors, hidden coves, timed locks, and, obviously, more horrifying surprises.

The writers make you love these girls, earnest believers but not dolts, so you hope for the best. But dammit, their tormentor is so witty and interesting, you feel guilty for wanting the mental duel to continue.  

Literate, suspenseful, darkly funny, and ultimately, perhaps overly-reliant on Grant’s cheeky, playful and charismatic performance. But oh, what a turn!

A taste.

Eventually, the mental gymnastics must give way to violence (I was hoping Grant would say, “Okay, joke is over! Goodbye, girls!”) but of course, that just wouldn’t do. The film falters just a bit at the bloody end, but [spoiler, sort of – it has a faith-based final act worthy of The Exorcist, and as Grant has been kicking these girls about for most of the movie, Huzzah!].  

$4.99 well spent on Amazon.