‘Speak No Evil’: Blumhouse Turns a Danish Thriller Into an Unhinged Ride Featuring a Diabolical James McAvoy

Alci Rengifo

In the United States we don’t really like our horror films to get too complicated. Fun is the name of the game and anything beyond that is too unnerving, with a few exceptions. “Speak No Evil” is a Blumhouse remake of a 2022 Danish original that was eerie and merciless. Director Christian Tafdrup took a classic entrapment premise and turned it into a tragedy of manners. In the story a middle class Danish couple befriends a Dutch couple while on vacation, accepting an offer to stay at their place. It quickly escalates into a disturbing situation where they should clearly leave yet don’t seem to have the capacity to just do it. Now in the hands of James Watkins, this new version begins strongly with some of the same ambiance before going total grindhouse. 

The basic premise remains the same with new nationalities. This time it’s two Americans, Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise Dalton (Mackenzie Davis), with their 12-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). Ben has been demoted at his London job and to get away they are relaxing at a gorgeous Italian resort. Fate brings them into the view of Paddy (James McAvoy), an energetic English doctor, his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and their own young son, Ant (Dan Hough), who has a malformed tongue. Paddy is one of those people who instantly cling to you in an overly friendly way, acting as if you’ve known each other forever. Naturally, he invites the Daltons to stay a weekend at his place in rural England. When the couple returns to London, they’re surprised to receive a letter from Patty repeating the invite. He wasn’t just being nice. Ben figures it would do them good especially since their marriage has been on the rocks. What begins as an idyllic, albeit quirky, getaway soon becomes glaringly uncomfortable.

“Speak No Evil” could be used as a fun experiment for a film class where the instructor shows both versions, dissecting their differences. Depending on your preferences, if you walk in without any prior knowledge of the 2022 film, the Watkins version works on its own as one of Blumhouse’s better escapist entertainments. One of the story’s general strengths has always been its dependency on human behavior. There are no supernatural surprises. All the tension comes from the Daltons sensing something’s off about Paddy and Ciara’s home. The pacing is much quicker than the original but reimagines certain moments with effective unease. Louise mentions she’s a vegetarian in Italy, yet later in England Paddy pressures her into trying a goose he cooked. The more reserved Daltons are taken aback at Paddy and Ciara’s comfort at stripping down in front of strangers for a swim or hinting at being open to a threesome. Paddy is such an effective life of the party, he can tease Louise about being able to be so picky about her eating habits because she’s privileged and not come across as hostile. It’s there but in-between the lines.

In another effective link to its predecessor, the first two acts gradually escalate through the sheer, human weaknesses of its characters. Watkins’ screenplay expands on certain elements to give the players more background. Tafdrup’s couple were middle class types who suffered for resisting to be rude until their hosts’ antics became too much. Here, the dynamics play on Ben acting needy after being downsized at his job and discovering Louise was sexting with another man. It is as if he needs to prove himself by showing he can keep this situation under control. Since Paddy treats him like a beer-clinking bro, Ben’s masculinity receives a shallow boost. Some of the same plot beats still work well, like that moment where the family nearly goes through with the common sense decision to get out. We can scoff at the characters, yet it is baffling how many people will sink rather than risk conflict. Watkins effectively stages subtle moments of terror, such as Paddy staring at Ban and Louise through a door window. They are aloof to the severity of the situation. Part of the devilish fun is us wanting to yell at them to turn around and wake up. 

All the performances are effective with James McAvoy as the center of the entire movie. Few current actors pull off malevolence like he can with that grin that easily morphs between welcoming and threatening. Few would be the wiser if Paddy approached them by the swimming pool. A common criticism lodged at the original was how its villain was given little context for why he is as he is. McAvoy is given more background to play with and creates one of those disturbed personas like a ticking time bomb. He’s joking around one moment and then cruelly embarrassing Ant over a dance routine with Agnes. It’s a genre piece with McAvoy giving his all, bringing out the madness by the end with raging intensity. Dark humor also fuels his approach, making us laugh more often than we would expect, in the right way. His performance feeds off the others and vice versa. Scoot McNairy turns Ben into one of those genuinely nice people who keeps his temper locked, preferring to acquiesce in life. Mackenzie Davis keeps her character grounded as well, playing the wife with sharper instincts about what’s going on. The child actors are also memorable, in particular Dan Hough as Ant, who has to communicate through clunky signs and expressions.

It is in the third act where this “Speak No Evil” truly becomes a Blumhouse movie, climaxing the plot with a symphony of violence as if Watkins took notes from Rod Lurie’s remake of “Straw Dogs.” What began as a disturbing thriller centered on behavioral clues becomes a more traditional, very American thriller involving chases around Paddy’s home, makeshift weapons like a bottle of sulfuric acid and close calls with power tools. If the 2022 film could easily inspire awkward silence in the audience, this one is meant to inspire a few cheers and claps. Even Agnes’ stuffed animal companion, Hoppy, gets caught up in the action. All the subsequent gore and grindhouse popcorn craziness is well-staged, but this is also where the story loses focus. Then again, someone getting their just desserts with a giant rock sells better than the original’s bleak, haunted ending. That movie believes we are the mercy of evil drives in this world, Blumhouse knows you need more fun to sell more tickets.

Despite the conventional ending, “Speak No Evil” still features better storytelling, genuine suspense and acting than recent Blumhouse misfires like “AfrAId.” For most of its running time it’s not cheating viewers from an audience where a good deal will most likely not have seen the original. Before the bloodletting kicks off, it’s engaging as a popcorn thriller about the weakness of not being able to simply walk away. We tolerate many people or actions out of the fear of creating an uncomfortable situation. The revelations at the end of “Speak No Evil” are devilishly extreme, yet out in the world who knows how many close calls you have avoided by deciding to not give out your address or information to certain people. Sometimes, refusing a date can save you a world of trouble. There’s still thought put into this version of the story, though do yourself a favor and seek out the original which is readily available on streaming. 

“Speak No Evil” releases Sept. 13 in theaters nationwide.