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
R-Rated ‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe’ Director’s Cut Gets New Title and Streaming Premiere Date
After a slight delay, Disney has finally announced a new streaming date for the R-Rated director’s cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe. According to Gizmodo, it’ll also come with a new title.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn begins streaming on Hulu on August 14.
The new cut was first teased in an interview with director Chris Carter on the Fail Better With David Duchovny podcast from last year, where he teased a much scarier movie he intended.
“Now I have a chance to go back and make the scary movie that I always intended to make,” Carter explained last year. “It’s not just doing a Director’s Cut to do a Director’s Cut. It’s really kind of bringing to life something that for me was on the page and never got to the screen.“
The director’s cut of the film was initially set to arrive on Disney+ in June, but quietly disappeared from the schedule without a word. Polygon reported the delay was “due to some last-minute adjustments being made to the film.”
The release’s new “Vrach Frankenshteyn” certainly suggests those adjustments have been made, likely referring to a Frankensteining of bonus footage.
In the film, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) have been out of the FBI for several years, with Mulder living in isolation and Scully having become a doctor at a Catholic hospital, where she has formed a bond with a critically ill child patient.
When an FBI agent is mysteriously kidnapped, and a former Catholic priest who has been convicted of pedophilia claims to be experiencing psychic visions of the endangered agent, Scully is asked to bring Mulder back to the bureau to consult on the case because of his work with psychics.
The brand new R-rated cut will “faithfully restore the filmmaker’s original vision.”
Look for it on Hulu next month.