Hugh Grant spent half his career in rom-coms. Now he plays monsters, and he’s never been happier

AP Film Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — After decades in romantic comedies, Hugh Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in “Heretic,” a new horror thriller from A24, Grant’s turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in “Love Actually” is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement. In Grant’s hands, his character is a divinely good baddie – a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead’s “Creep.”