The wait is over: one of the most popular horror movies of 2024 is out now on digital platforms! We are talking about Heretic, from directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, where Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East play two young missionaries who just happen to knock on the wrong door. That door belongs to Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), whose completely harmless appearance conceals a much more disquieting nature. Since Sister Barnes (Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (East) are only allowed to enter a man’s house if a woman is present, Mr. Reeds mentions his wife, and invites them both him for a slice of blueberry pie. Needless to say, not only is the man’s wife nowhere in sight, but he has no intention of letting them leave.
Ever since its initial release, Heretic has garnered so much praise not just for its stellar cast and performances – including a wonderfully unhinged Hugh Grant – but also for its clever approach to timely religious debates, and more than one twist you won’t see coming. Heretic is now available to stream on Max, but what can you watch after you’ve seen it? If you loved this horror gem and are looking for your next obsession, we have you covered! We made a list of 5 movies to watch if you liked Heretic, from all-time classics to new streaming releases, in alphabetical order! Enjoy!
1. Late Night with the Devil
Colin and Cameron Cairnes’s Late Night with the Devil – out now on Hulu, AMC+, Max, Shudder, and most major streamers – took the festival circuit by storm after its World Premiere at SXSW 2013 and continues to captivate audiences to this day. The premise is simple: Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) is the host of the night-time talk show “Night Owls,” which hasn’t been doing so well after the death of Jack’s wife. Jack has been trying to boost the show’s viewership since then, and On Halloween 1977, he has something special in store for his audience. Little does he know that the guest he’s going to bring on live television will unleash actual evil into everyone’s homes.
Based on the premise alone, Late Night with the Devil would seem to have little in common with Heretic. Yet even if the stories themselves are different, what they have in common is that they manage to keep you hooked from start to end with their superb use of atmosphere an tension, both of which grow as the movies go on and more is revealed about what’s actually going on. Not to mention their commentary on religion, and that they’re both anchored by unhinged performances from their leading men. Unlike Heretic‘s Hugh Grant, David Dastmalchian isn’t a villain here, but it’s just as much fun to watch him become more clueless and stressed by the minute, desperate to control an impossible situation while retaining his sanity. If you go into the film knowing nothing about what you’re about to see, you’re in for one hell of a ride (pun intended).
2. Midsommar
We had to include this 2019 classic from Ari Aster, which gave a new meaning to the titular Scandinavian tradition. The film sees a couple take part in just that: the film begins with protagonists Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) arriving in a rural town in Northern Europe for a well-known, idyllic mid-summer festival. But, not unlike that of Heretic‘s protagonists, a perfectly ordinary and even promising day soon becomes a nightmare when they realize that they’ve been taken hostage.
This time, the antagonist is the pagan cult organizing the festival, who makes them take part in a sinister, potentially deadly competition. Ari Aster has a knack for crafting disquieting stories – now that we think of it, his 2018 gem Hereditary would also be a perfect film to watch if you liked Heretic – and Midsommar is no exception. The movie takes a seemingly simple premise and turns it into something truly unsettling that will stay with you for a long time. Not to be missed!
3. Nosferatu
If a haunting atmosphere, religious undertones, and twisted revelations are what you’re into, look no further than Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024). This acclaimed movie has just been released on streaming platform, making this the perfect time to watch it if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s 1838, Wisburg, Germany, and Lily-Rose Depp plays Ellen Hutter, wife to real estate agent Thomas (Nicholas Hoult). One day, Thomas is commissioned to sell the run down Manor next to his house to the wealthy Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), and goes to Transylvania to complete the sale. But what he finds there is something else entirely – something, or someone, that his wife has somehown known for a very long time, and who’s about to turn both their lives into a nightmare.
The film is a remake of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 classic, and just like the original film, it features fantastic lead performances and a slow-burning, tense narrative with gothic undertones. Yet at the same time, Eggers also makes these characters so much more complex, delivering a film that is as scary and gory as it should be but that also has several love stories at its center, with a multi-layered protagonist in Depp’s Ellen to make them both believable. On top of this, Bill Skarsgård excels as Count Orlok, making the character his own both visually and personality-wise: just like with Hugh Grant’s character in Heretic, your eyes will be glued to the screen every time he makes an appearance.
4. Ready or Not
Ready or Not (2019), from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (Scream VI) and Tyler Gillett (V/H/S), needed to be on this list, as it’s the movie whose premise resembles Heretic the most. It’s the best day of Grace’s (Samara Weaving) life, as she’s just married the man she loves, Alex (Mark O’Brien), at his family’s estate. But her happiness is short-lived, as an appropriately creepy game card leads her new husband to reveal that his family is cursed, and that, since Alex happened to draw the worst possible card from the deck, a ritual now needs to be completed. Alex’s card reads “Hide-and-Seek”, and that’s exactly what she’ll need to do: try to escape Alex’s entire family, whose many members are all looking to kill her for a sacrifice before dawn.
If you’ve seen Heretic, you’ll know that there’s a lot of hiding in the second half of the movie, and that’s similar to what you’ll find in Ready or Not. Yet on top of all the gore and the tension, you’ll also find some much needed dark humor to keep you even more enthralled. This is a true genre gem and it should not be missed.
5. The Shining
This timeless classic from Stanley Kubrick is not only one of the best horror movies you can find, but it’s one of the best films of all time. Audiences keep coming back to it even forty-five years after its release because it’s just as flawlessly paced and disquietingly gripping as it was upon release, anchored by a superb performance from Jack Nicholson.
In The Shining (1980), Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, who has just accepted a job as the guardian of an isolated hotel in the Rocky Mountains. As the movie unfolds, we watch him completely lose his sanity and transform into a different, terrifying man that even his wife and son eventually find themselves running away from. It’s best to leave it at that, as several twists await you if you haven’t seen the film yet, and slowly uncovering the truth about Jack’s predicament is part of the fun here. Just like in Heretic, you won’t see its twists coming, and you’ll find yourself thinking about its haunting ending, and the magnetic performance at its center, for long after the credits roll.
The 5 movies listed above will all make for fantastic watches if you’re looking for something to stream if you liked Heretic. From new releases to genre classics, you’re bound to find something that catches your interest here. Happy watching!
