Often, American remakes of well-regarded international horror movies can be hit or miss. Sometimes you get new classics like The Ring, Let Me In, or Suspiria (2017). Other times, well, you get straight-up forgettable flicks like One Missed Call, Dark Water, or Pulse. Thankfully, writer-director James Watkins’s remake of Christian Tafdrup’s beloved 2022 Danish film, Speak No Evil, fits the former and gives Blumhouse a legitimately thrilling crowd-pleaser.
The film follows Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy), American parents traveling in Europe with their daughter Agnes (Alex West Lefler). During their vacation, they link up with fellow parents Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), who are with their mute son Ant (Dan Hough). The two families form such a strong friendship that Louise, Ben, and Agnes visit Paddy and company at their remote villa. However, awkward tensions arise as Paddy and Ciara’s behavior becomes strange and sometimes highly aggressive. Soon, Ben and Louise realize that Paddy and Ciara harbor disturbing intentions for them that go far beyond providing simple hospitality.
Oddly enough, Speak No Evil initially hooks viewers through unexpected charm. The writing and direction from Watkins perfectly evoke a warm, irresistible sense of fun through Paddy and Ciara. There’s an undeniable spark in their relationship that’s nearly palpable and there are some fun jokes and lines from Paddy that’ll easily draw laughs from the crowd. McAvoy’s performance amps up the delight so well too, and it’s rare to see a horror-thriller start off so pleasantly. It lulls everyone—especially Louise and Ben—into a false sense of safety that’s slowly ripped away once they enter the villa.
As the film shifts to Paddy and Ciara’s isolated domain, Watkins turns the heat up to a simmer through some good, socially-driven tension. Like Tafdrup’s original, Speak No Evil is all about turning our own inner fears of awkwardness, conflict, and perception into our biggest undoing. When Paddy and Ciara cross lines or create shaky situations, Louise and Ben are hesitant to respond—which builds lingering tension that only escalates with time. With each brash comment from Paddy or questionable parenting moment towards Ant, you genuinely feel the gripping intensity of the film taking shape. Watkins excellently achieves a delicate balance of conflict and calmness, and he makes the experience relatively realistic and highly engaging.
Now, given that most people will come into Speak No Evil knowing that Paddy and Ciara are up to no good—either by seeing the original or the remake’s trailers — sometimes the film can’t maintain its suspension of disbelief. Ben and Louise can be such pushovers that it strains believability, and there’s even a wildly ridiculous moment where they decide to return to the villa after nearly escaping. Seriously, screams and groans from the crowd to leave Agnes’s damn stuffed bunny behind will ring throughout the theater. But overall, Watkins effectively preys on this fear of conflict and creates a narrative that touches on dismissiveness in a compelling way. Viewers will certainly leave rethinking their approach to new social connections, and an absolutely terrifying line from the original is echoed flawlessly, taking on new relevancy and depth.
Along with some intriguing thematic trappings, Speak No Evil also has a strong breadcrumb narrative that keeps viewers consistently invested. Ant is well used in the story—especially for a character who can’t speak—and constantly pushes the mystery of who Paddy and Ciara really are. With every new red flag, audiences will be wrapped in suspicion and sweat, creating constant inner thoughts for Ben and Louise to get the hell out of there. Then, the film has an incredible turning point where everything evil about Paddy and Ciara is realized, but no one wants to make a move. It’s the perfect type of walking-on-eggshells tension that viewers will lovingly eat up and it’s great how Watkins strings out the uneasiness of it for quite a while. Not to mention, through all the build-up are these top-notch performances.
McAvoy easily delivers the most captivating performance of the film simply because he nails Paddy’s range of emotions. From being warm and inviting to something absolutely monstrous, McAvoy makes Paddy a horror villain that viewers won’t soon forget. He’s a ticking time bomb you can’t take your eyes off of and leaves you in shambles when he finally blows. Franciosi is equally great in how she showcases Ciara’s ability to manipulate people with pity and emotion, with having a poker face that’s genuinely tough to read or call out. Despite some slightly frustrating elements of Ben and Louise, Davis and McNairy are great as well. They’re often likeable enough for audiences to get behind and play their characters problems as a couple really well to add more depth to their shared arc.
All of the film’s best elements come to a head in a strong finale that’s perfectly drawn out and stands apart well from the original’s iconic ending. Sure, it’s not nearly as dark and haunting as the original final moments — although this remake’s ending has flashes of gruesomeness.
Speak No Evil is far better than the odds of good American horror remakes would make you expect and excellently captures the socially thrilling nature of the original while still having its own standout elements. McAvoy’s performance and Watkins’s direction are worth seeing alone and audiences will love the mix of entertaining and scary thrills that Speak No Evil offers in spades.
