For decades, Hugh Grant was the ideal romantic-comedy heartthrob, so there’s something darkly subversive about casting him as a religiously minded psychopath who preys upon women in Heretic, a delightfully deviant new film that mixes theology,

And what a man Beck and Woods have cast in their religious horror flick, effectively weaponizing the befuddled British charm of one Mr. Hugh Grant, who has fumbled and grinned through such rom-com classics as “Notting Hill,

A minimalist feature such as this requires a sharp, intelligent script and performers who can effectively captivate and carry the full weight of the story, and Heretic shines with both. A smart, meta story structure is complemented with intelligent,

Hugh Grant turns his natural charm into a weapon in “Heretic,” a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper.

That’s the premise, and the clever casting, of “Heretic,” a horror film starring Grant in his least likely role: a total sicko. Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, of “A Quiet Place,” the film features moody cinematography from Chung Chung-hoon (2017’s “It”),