Speak No Evil Review

A Summary

Speak No Evil is a remake of the 2022 Danish psychological horror of the same name. Directed by James Watkins, known for Eden Lake and The Woman in Black, the film stars James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi as Paddy and Ciara. They play an English couple who, while on holiday in Italy with their mute son, Ant, befriend an American couple, Louise and Ben, and their daughter, Agnes. The English couple then invites them for a weekend getaway to their farm in Devon. But Paddy and Ciara’s hospitality is not as it seems. Louise, Ben and Agnes will soon find themselves in a fight for their own survival against their hosts.

Horror In 2024

2024 has been an especially busy year for horror so far, both original and for major franchises. While there have been several gems such as Late Night With The Devil and Longlegs, for Blumhouse Productions it hasn’t exactly been great quality-wise, as Night Swim, Imaginary and AfrAId all ranged from underwhelming to absolutely atrocious. When it comes to the studio’s own IPs, they’ve gotten to the point of relying so heavily on the structural formula of their earlier works such as Insidious that they’ve become aggressively predictable. But while Speak No Evil looks to shake up their slate, it comes with its own baggage: being a remake of a film released only two years ago, and partially in English to boot. Thankfully, the end result is a film that silences any potential scepticism by standing toe to toe alongside its Danish counterpart.

Speak No Evil: A Faithful Remake With A Fresh Twist

As a remake, Speak No Evil follows the plot of the original largely identically on whole, save for a heavily reworked climax. This does take away some of its nastiness for a more crowd pleasing ending, but it’s faithfulness ends up being more of a benefit than a hindrance, as it emphasises the inherent quality of director and writers Christian and Mads Taldrup’s storytelling, especially when it comes to the vast amounts of subtle foreshadowing.

By trading the Netherlands setting and the culture clash between the Dutch and Danish for the West Country and the divide between Brits and Yanks in his adaptation of the screenplay, Watkins still successfully manages to explore potent themes of financial classism (both implicit and explicit). He also explores how social boundaries can be uncomfortably pushed under the guise of jokes, banter and a need to be perceived as polite (an observation that feels distinctly British).

Despite running about 15 minutes longer at 110 minutes total, the extra length allows for more time to be spent fleshing out the characters and their relationships with each other. This is particularly seen when it comes to the fraught marriage between Ben and Louise and the adjustment issues they’ve faced since their emigration to the UK, and for Watkins to stew in the uneasy atmosphere juxtaposed against the quaint Devonian coast, even if it does slightly exasperate already existing pacing issues in the first act.

Highlight Performances From McAvoy And The Supporting Cast

A lot of the film’s appeal as a remake comes from the casting of James McAvoy as Paddy, and he does not disappoint. One of McAvoy’s greatest strengths as a performer is his ability to adapt himself to a character’s multiple facets both emotionally and physically, be it as Bruce in Filth or most notably as the multiple personalities of Kevin Wendell Crumb in Split. This aspect is something that James Watkins takes full advantage of, letting McAvoy thrive as an affable charmer eager to show off. At the same time, Watkins puts McAvoy’s darker tendencies in plain sight, lulling his guests into a false sense of security before blindsiding them with unchecked aggression.

It’s a fantastic performance that’s worth the price of admission alone, but the rest of the cast are on terrific form as well. Most notable is Mackenzie Davis playing against type as Louise and some especially impressive child acting from Alix West Lefler and Dan Hough as Agnes and Ant. James Watkins’ direction also excels. His talents at crafting an environment where everything feels slightly off-kilter and unnerving, despite how innocuous the setting may seem, are on full display. From the opening prologue in Italy to the expanses of Paddy and Ciara’s farm, there’s a constant air of uneasiness that Watkins is clearly having a lot of fun indulging in, especially when it comes to the climax, even though some of the rougher edges of the original have been sanded off.

Speak No Evil – A Summary

Overall, Speak No Evil is the rare remake which adds and supplements its pre-existing counterpart. With social commentary that translates well to a transatlantic audience, a tense atmosphere and an incredibly memorable lead performance, it all comes together for a horror experience that’s worth screaming about.