Movie Night: Speak No Evil (2024)

2024’s “Speak No Evil” is a chilling remake of a nightmarish Dutch film that honors the original while smartly carving out its own path.

Only two years ago, horror fans were shocked, appalled, and thrilled at the latest twisted Dutch horror, Speak No Evil (currently on Shudder). Catapulting onto the horror circuit with a lot of buzz behind it, it found a fan in me —  though it wasn’t normally a film I would have reached for.

An American remake was announced, unusually quickly following the Dutch release, with James Mccovy attached to play Paddy and Blumhouse producing. With Director James Watkins, known for The Woman In Black and Eden Lake, at the helm, there was a good deal of buzz surrounding the remake, even among those who had never seen or heard of the original.

Unfortunately, the trailer gave away a lot of the plot, which is a shame for a film that benefits so greatly from the element of surprise. Of course, those of us who had seen the original already knew what to expect. This version isn’t nearly as bleak and depressing as the original, but that doesn’t make it any less disturbing.

The film revolves around married couple Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Lousie (Mackenzie Davis) Dalton, along with their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler), who struggles with anxiety.

Recent infidelity has left their marriage on a rocky foundation when they meet another couple, Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), along with their mute son Ant (Dan Hough), on holiday in Italy. After hitting it off with the gregarious couple, they head home and soon receive a postcard from their new friends, inviting Ben and Louse to the home of Paddy and Ciara in the West Country of the U.K.

Though Louise is reluctant to spend a weekend with virtual strangers, Ben thinks it could be a welcome adventure and good for their troubled marriage.

While things start reasonably well, despite the surprisingly small accommodations for a doctor and his wife, it doesn’t take long for the red flags to start piling up. Soon, simple oddities become glaring warning signs as the film spirals into psychological thriller territory — ending up in a cat-and-mouse fight for survival.

Beginning as nearly a shot-for-shot remake of the original, it nevertheless has a more urgent pace compared to the original’s slow burn. 

Soon, the film starts carving out its own path and strays from the source material in the best way. Speak No Evil does a great job familiarizing audiences with the universe established in the original before whiplashing viewers into exciting, unknown territory.

James McAvoy’s character is toxic masculinity at its finest, with his social views questionable and hints of rampant misogyny.

As always, he plays the perfect villain. I just can’t get enough of McAvoy in horror. He is genuinely terrifying to watch, camouflaging himself as an everyday oddball before morphing into a full-blown psychopath.

McAvoy claims he didn’t watch the original until after filming because he didn’t want it to influence his interpretation of the performance. Sadly, many anxious to see this film will also go into their viewing of it unaware of the source material, which is quite a shame.

As you watch this film, expect an overwhelming sense of unease and discomfort. It makes you want to quit at times because it is hard to watch our protagonists make so many awful decisions.

That’s a compliment; this is exactly what the film is going for, and it nails it.

Besides McAvoy’s powerhouse performance, his co-star Mackenzie Davis is another showstopper. She’s such an underrated actress who really shines in these complex roles. Her character is intentionally written to be a bit unlikeable, but Mackenzie makes you care about her plight. She does a great job displaying palpable slow-building anxiety and growing suspicion, serving as a strong foil to McAvoy’s nastiness.

I would like to point out that it was a nice bonus to see the children’s characters more fleshed out, as they are given more to do in this version.

It’s a film that’s utterly thrilling right till its last moments.

I highly recommend you check out See No Evil, then treat yourself and watch the original afterward.