Sometimes an invitation to spend a pleasant weekend at an acquaintance’s house is just that…but sometimes, you should just stay the hell home.
Speak No Evil
Speak No Evil is a 2024 American remake of the 2022 Danish-Dutch psychological thriller of the same name. The American version is written and directed by James Watkins and stars James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough and Scoot McNairy. What begins as a pleasant vacation in Italy for an American couple Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy) and their young daughter, Agnes (Alix West Lefler) soon turns dangerous after they meet a free-spirited British couple, Paddy (James McAvoy), his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and their young son, Ant (Dan Hough).
The children connect right away although the boy is unable to speak. Paddy and Ciara have a bit of a bohemian attitude to life, and look genuinely happy, and this helps Louise and Ben forget their own marital problems. When Ben and Louise are invited to visit the Daltons remote farmhouse in Devon, they soon learn that new friends are slightly unhinged.
Conclusion
I saw the original Danish film when it came out, and I felt that it was much more frightening that the remake. European films don’t feel the need for a happy ending, and this allows us to experience horror at its best…untamed, in-your-face endings. Both the Danish and American version of Speak No Evil are guilty of pushing stupid behavior onto the audience. There are so many scenes where Ben and Louise should have grabbed their daughter and ran for their lives…but instead…they stay and prolong the torture (not theirs, but we, the audience).
I love James McAvoy, and he can be scary even when playing the protagonist, but when he is the bad guy he excels at the craft of playing the part of a lunatic. He is freaking scary, and this is what saves the film. I have never been disappointed in any film that starred McAvoy. His character Paddy is able to confuse us with his quick and easy smile while the eyes warn of horrific things to come.
You can watch Speak No Evil on Prime and on Peacock, but if you are able to find the original…watch that one first. Both are good in their own way. Both are worth watching… but Fedja van Huet is no match to McAvoy when it comes to scary.