It’s a horror movie with Hugh Grant as the bad guy. Need we really say more? Grant is an inspired piece of casting for this spooky house chiller, bringing all his charm, which has developed a delightfully eccentric bent in the latter part of his career, and twisting it into something distinctly unsettling. It’s an overused phrase, but this is genuinely Grant as you’ve never seen him before.
The film begins with two young Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) making their way round a pretty, rural town, attempting to convert people to their church – with unsurprisingly low success. When they knock on the door of Mr Reed (Grant), who lives in a remote spot high in the hills, they’re tired and deflated, so they’re instantly buoyed when, in his blustering, tweedy way, he seems only too happy to chat with them. They’re so taken with his friendliness that they bend their rule of only entering a house if a woman is present, because Mr Reed promises his wife is somewhere inside. Within minutes of stepping inside, they sense they may have made a serious mistake.
As Mr Reed tries to engage them in spirited debate about the finer points of religion and its place in the world, it becomes apparent they’re trapped with something truly horrifying: a mansplainer with a lot of time on his hands. And he may be something, if you can imagine, even worse. And there’s no sign of Mrs Reed…
You may never be able to enjoy Paddington 2 in the same way again
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who were co-writers on A Quiet Place but have so far had mixed results behind the camera (Nightlight, 65), find their feet with this project. They ably eke out the tension as Mr Reed traps the two women in a puzzle, trying to force them into a theological debate, with potentially deadly results for any answer he dislikes. Grant plays it all just perfectly, keeping a tight smile and patronisingly convivial tone as his actions turn darker. Reed is a man who’ll do anything to win the argument.
There are times when Beck and Woods get a bit too enamoured with the film’s internal religious debate, allowing themselves a little of their villain’s pomposity, but they always quickly find their way back to skincrawling, seat-squirming horror. And it’s a tremendously enjoyable type of horror, full of giggle-inducing jump scares, but sending you off with some intelligent questions to gnaw on. And after watching Grant terrorise two innocent victims, you may never be able to enjoy Paddington 2 in the same way again.
In US theaters now and UK cinemas Nov 1.