Movies
‘Heretic’ Exclusive Featurette Bears Witness a Dark New Side of Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant disarms as the charming yet sinister Mr. Reed in Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ Heretic. The cast and crew tease just how complex Mr. Reed is, along with Grant’s critically acclaimed portrayal, in an exclusive new featurette below.
A24 will release Heretic in theaters on November 8, 2024.
Hugh Grant (D&D: Honor Among Thieves), Chloe East (The Fabelmans) and Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”) lead the cast of the upcoming horror movie. In the film…
“Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.”
Heretic made its world premiere at TIFF, resulting in the first reviews hitting the internet. Critics are united on one thing: Hugh Grant shines as the devious Mr. Reed. I wrote in my review that Heretic is “a movie that’s ultimately carried on the back of its villain, and Grant’s daffy, amused portrayal of Mr. Reed might be enough to make you a convert.” And “Mr. Reed bides his time regaling his captive audience by playing devil’s advocate at first, gently testing the boundaries of their beliefs before luring them further into darkness. Grant makes easy work of chewing scenery; this is an unflappable, cunning foe excited by the savviness of his vulnerable prey.”
The featurette below gives spoiler-free insight into Grant’s character, with Beck and Woods revealing just how tough it was to cast Mr. Reed. It’s also a strong indicator that Grant had a blast playing the horror antagonist.
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods wrote A Quiet Place with director John Krasinski, and they just wrote/directed the high concept Adam Driver dinosaur movie 65 last year. The duo also wrote/directed Haunt and penned the Stephen King horror film The Boogeyman.
The A24 film has been rated “R” for “some bloody violence.”
Movies
Absolutely “No Goddamn AI” Was Used to Bring ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ to Theaters in 4K 3D This October
Guillermo del Toro returned to San Diego Comic-Con this past week to take part in a special Pan’s Labyrinth 20th anniversary panel, which also featured stars Doug Jones and Ivana Baquero. They were on hand to preview the upcoming theatrical re-release of Del Toro’s masterpiece, which is headed to the big screen beginning October 9, 2026.
Guillermo del Toro made one thing crystal clear about the 2006 film’s upcoming theatrical release in 3D and HDR; “absolutely no goddamn AI” was used any step of the way.
“It’s much more expensive… I don’t care,” del Toro said, speaking about the painstaking process of bringing the film into the 4K 3D format by hand. “What we’re protecting is the beauty and redeeming power of art. We are protecting a lineage of art.”
Del Toro added, “You have to put in time. You have to do every element by hand.”
If there’s any filmmaker at the moment who completely embodies the anti-AI movement it’s Guillermo del Toro, who has been vocally against the use of generative AI in the creation of art from the very beginning. He said back in October of last year that he’d “rather die” than use AI.
Other big name filmmakers have been dipping their toes into generative AI, with AI recently used by David Fincher for the restoration of his film Se7en. It’s likely to become more and more common in Hollywood for the restoration of older movies and the creation of brand new movies, but Guillermo del Toro is standing in firm opposition to the controversial technology.
He recently shouted at the Gotham Awards, “Fuck AI!”
Bloody Disgusting’s parent company Cineverse is teaming up with Fathom Entertainment for the Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth 20th Anniversary release, in theaters October 9.
Pan’s Labyrinth will be presented theatrically for the first time by Cineverse and Fathom in 4K, and with versions available in both 3D and HDR by Barco – the dedicated HDR viewing solution offering up to 6 times higher peak luminance.
Each version for this re-release has been overseen by Guillermo del Toro.
Tickets will be available online September 9 and at participating theater box offices.
Pan’s Labyrinth takes place in 1944, in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.
Young Ofelia and her pregnant mother have been brought to live in the countryside, where her brutal stepfather Captain Vidal’s job is to wipe out the remaining rebels camped in the local forest. Nearby, in a hidden labyrinth, Ofelia meets an ageless Faun, who tells her that she is really a princess from an enchanted world. He gives her three tasks which she must complete in order to reclaim her rightful place. As her mother’s failing health threatens the life of her unborn child, Ofelia undertakes a quest to complete the Faun’s tasks.
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