Sometimes you think you have a good read on someone, and then you proceed to regret ever having thought that way in the first place. “Why did I even consider this person to be decent?” Or vice versa — they were good all along; how dare I have thought anything different? But many of us are just too darn polite to speak up when we’re stuck in a social situation that is simply choking us on a mental and psychological level. Why do we endure it? “Because you let us,” says one remarkable character from Blumhouse’s latest offering. If Speak No Evil sounds familiar, that’s because it is — to loyal horror fans, at least.
A Danish feature of the same name was released just two years back, from writer-director Christian Tafdrup — and now, an updated version has been quickly written for the screen and directed by James Watkins (The Woman in Black, Eden Lake). The deliciously warped original script from Christian and Mads Tafdrup trumps this Blumhouse remake, but North American and UK moviegoers will have a ball soaking up yet another chilling performance by the one and only James McAvoy. The rest of the film may settle for mediocrity, unfortunately, but the Scottish performer will leave you laughing, squirming, and yelling at the folks he may or may not terrorize on-screen.
If you haven’t seen the original Speak No Evil, it’s only right to recommend that film instead; it builds tension better and maintains it through an infinitely better third act and bold, uncompromising ending, unlike this film. Of course, like different bands playing the same song, there are different interesting qualities to each. But unlike most English-language remakes of international films, 2022’s Speak No Evil was largely in English to begin with, making this new film even more redundant. The only marked improvement comes from getting pierced by McAvoy’s devilishly handsome but calculating eyes.
Speak No Evil Builds on the 2022 Original
The premise of Speak No Evil is virtually the same as the original, with the protagonists this time around being played by Scoot McNairy (Argo, Killing Them Softly) and Mackenzie Davis (Station Eleven, Tully). As a quietly distressed couple searching for inner peace, Ben and Louise have had their marital problems in the past (an added element from the 2022 version); they’re hoping to get away from that when they take their young daughter Agnes to Europe. There, they happen to meet an eccentric couple, Paddy (McAvoy) and Ciara (The Nightingale star Aisling Franciosi), who happen to have a son about the same age as Agnes — why not continue the conversation and friendship thereafter?
Later that year, Paddy and Ciara invite new friends Ben and Louise to their tucked-away property in the British countryside, and maybe this is just what the American couple needs… right? To spoil how things go terribly wrong for “the good guys” would be criminal, but those increasingly intense eyes of actress Davis’ perfectly match the high-anxiety mood of their getaway weekend from hell. They realize alongside the audience that they’re actually staying at the house of two shady, egomaniacal, money-hungry, manipulative, deceitful, sociopathic, and sexually charged individuals. Does that about cover it? You be the judge.
The Return of Maniacal McAvoy Can’t Save the Third Act
One thing is predictably clear: McAvoy is a force to be reckoned with. A whole book could be written about his mastery of psychotic or just unstable characters over the years, and at times, McAvoy’s Paddy seems to manifest all 23 personalities from his Split/Glass films from M. Night Shyamalan simultaneously. It’s a pressure cooker of a performance, with the award-winning Scottish actor at times simply looking like he’s going to burst. And these moments don’t even necessarily come during horrific, blood-soaked ones, but rather during some more dialogue-heavy, otherwise unassuming ones.
It’s also a shame that the other actors simply can’t keep up with him, even if McNairy and Davis have proven their chops time and time again in projects past. They simply come off as too darn rigid opposite McAvoy’s relentless playfulness. Fortunately, director Watkins builds on certain moments from the 2022 source film and cleverly plays on its dialogue, injecting new comedic beats and perspectives into the remake. It’s too bad there aren’t more of these clever script-related tricks up Watkins’ sleeve as the film enters its final act.
That third act loses its footing by succumbing to traditional thriller-movie tropes, instead of leaning into the Speak No Evil unique components that made the 2022 version so uniquely haunting. Even if you contest how that film infamously concluded, you might even prefer it over the overly convenient way things work themselves out in this remake. But it’s probably for the best, for Blumhouse’ bottom line, at least. They might just make a minor killing with this one, even if tried-and-true horror fans walk away from it feeling disappointed. From Universal Pictures, Speak No Evil will be released in theaters on Sep. 13, 2024. Watch the trailer below:
