Speak No Evil review: James McAvoy is vicious in uncomfortable remake

As a remake of the 2022 horror, Speak No Evil manages to stand on its own with heaps of discomfort and gore.

Those who’ve seen the original Danish horror movie will be familiar with the story. A family makes friends on holiday with an unassuming and charming couple. Weeks later, they’re invited to their remote home to spend the weekend together. But when they arrive, something seems rather off about their new pals.

The 2024 Speak No Evil trailer has done most of the work in setting audiences’ expectations. Fans who (think they) know how it ends accused the trailer for the remake of “blowing” the twist ending. Since then, the comically-overplayed marketing has been met with mass disdain.

However, this conversation shouldn’t deter anyone from watching the new movie. The fact of the matter is, despite its alleged marketing blunder, Speak No Evil is one of the few horror movies this year that’ll have you gritting your teeth and nervously laughing in equal measure.

The worst friends you’ll ever have

The remake, while staying mostly on the same narrative track as the original, has a few updates. Firstly, the leading couple, Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy), are American expats living in London.

While on a community-style retreat in Italy, they meet Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), a brash and unrestrained pair whose over-the-top ways charm the dainty Americans.

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After the trip, Louise, Ben, and their anxious daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) are invited to Paddy and Ciara’s country farm. It’s all well and good, but things start to unravel as soon as they arrive, and boundaries are pushed when they slowly discover that Paddy and Ciara (and their speechless son, Ant, played by Dan Hough) might not be who they claimed to be at all.

The obvious draw here is McAvoy, whose horror expertise puts him in good standing to play the brutish yet disarming Paddy. The Split actor can be forceful and vicious, but Speak No Evil is a reminder that he can play charming too – even an off-putting, disruptive version of charm.

By the end of the third act, when Paddy’s subtle quirks and quiet rage turn into full-pelt physical horror, it’s as though he’s returned to his element. It’s perhaps a little too close to The Beast, but it’s still a fun turn.

An unavoidable escalation

Comparisons to the remake are inevitable, and 2024’s Speak No Evil is certainly a Hollywood-washed, more playful version of the Danish film. In an effort to make this more digestible for general audiences, it skips some of the more unbearable and traumatizing aspects of the original, particularly towards the second half.

But it keeps the important things: a tight atmosphere and disarmingly warm style, which perfectly utilizes its desolate setting. The farm is aptly used, with the huge expanse of acres often feeling claustrophobic. There’s a thousand yards to run in any direction, and still no way to leave.

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The first act relies on awkwardness and moments of cringe, in which it succeeds greatly. In fact, this could be two different films: an exploration of awkward encounters and the disintegration of trust in the first half, and a Home Alone-style horror with plenty of gore and action in the finale.

Speak No Evil is directed by James Watkins, the mind behind such equally-horrid films like Eden Lake and The Woman in Black, and one of the most notorious Black Mirror episodes, ‘Shut Up and Dance’. Clearly, discomfort is this man’s comfort zone.

He’s the top choice for Speak No Evil, a film in which the temperature rises and rises with each act, getting worse until the thermostat eventually blows.

Speak No Evil verdict: 3/5

If you’re a purist of original movies, or if you’re the kind of person who loves to point out the inaccuracy or unlikelihood of things in movies (aka: the most boring kind of person to be around), then you likely won’t walk away with much love in your heart for Speak No Evil.

There are several moments in which escape and avoidance seem perfectly within reach, but the movie needs to keep its victims in place for the fun to continue. As such, there’s plenty of frustration to be had, but it works to the movie’s advantage.

Everyone will know the feeling of dread upon realizing you’re now in a situation you don’t like. Escape seems impossible at worst, and unreasonable at best. This is what Speak No Evil is all about. Where the movie verges into laughable territory is during the final act, when it moves into the zone of a more predictable, blood-soaked action-horror than the first half.

But ultimately, Speak No Evil is a solid remake, with plenty of discomfort to be had. And it might just have the scariest thing that no other 2024 horror can top: the experience of encountering a British person on holiday.

Speak No Evil will be released on September 12, 2024.

For more, find out how to watch Speak No Evil. You can also check out our interview with Mackenzie Davis, and check out all the best horror movies to watch on Amazon Prime.