Speak No Evil director has an even more “messed up” R-rated horror that’s available to stream now

Following the release of the Speak No Evil 2024 remake, it’s worth checking out James Watkins’ other depressing horror – if you’re looking to feel worse than you already do.

Speak No Evil is proving to be something of a surprise. The over-saturated marketing campaign caught the ire of potential audiences, but critical reviews and first responses go to show that everyone might have underestimated this 2024 horror movie.

For the remake of the 2022 Danish movie, James Watkins took his turn directing this tale of false friends and the limits of human politeness. Watkins is no stranger to discomfort and terror, having directed The Descent Part 2, The Woman in Black, and one of the most disturbing Black Mirror episodes, ‘Shut Up and Dance.’

But his 2008 horror movie, Eden Lake, is the perfect follow-up to Speak No Evil. Starring Yellowstone cast member Kelly Reilly alongside Michael Fassbender, it follows a couple as their weekend away transforms into the trip from Hell.

Eden Lake is available to stream now

At the time of writing, Eden Lake is available to stream on Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku. It’s sitting at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, just under Speak No Evil’s new 85% score.

Be warned: if you do dare to step into the world of Eden Lake, expect to find a film as gut-wrenching and disturbing as Speak No Evil. Despite the movie being released in 2008, horror fans are still praising it (and blaming it) for how it made them feel.

As one Reddit user wrote: “The utter feeling of hopelessness and despair this movie left me with was gut wrenching. The ending damn near ripped my heart out and left me feeling so pissed off, such a grave injustice. I’ve never wanted to go to a rage room more than I did after seeing this film.”

“It’s funny, the ending to Speak No Evil recently made me so mad, I kept thinking how few movies have been so viscerally effecting,” said another comment. “Which also kept reminding me of Eden Lake, which is probably the evilest of the bunch.”

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“Eden Lake is MESSED UP,” wrote a third. “I can safely say that we are nauseous, terrified, and utterly dejected. That movie was amazing and severely fucked up. So very depressing. I recommend it to all fans of horror, but especially fans of torture-porny flicks of the early 2000s.”

Speak No Evil and Eden Lake are more connected than you think

Not only are Speak No Evil and Eden Lake connected by their core story – couples going on a holiday and encountering terror at the hands of strangers – but it turns out that James Watkins’ 2008 horror directly inspired the 2022 original Speak No Evil.

Watkins confirmed as much in September 2024, telling The Hollywood Reporter: “I love [2022’s Speak No Evil]. I love the bleakness, which reminded me a bit of Eden Lake. In fact, I spoke to Christian [Tafdrup] before I made the [2024] film, and he was like, ‘Yeah, Eden Lake was one of my references.’ So there was a weird circularity there.”

Speak No Evil (2024) is playing in theaters now, while the original Speak No Evil is available to stream on Shudder.

For more, check out the 10 movies with shocking twists you should watch after Speak No Evil. You can also learn about the Speak No Evil ending, and find out what we thought with our Speak No Evil review.