My Review of Speak No Evil (2024)

Written And Directed by James Watkins

Ben: "Why are you doing this to us?"

Paddy: "Because you let us."

Sometimes the people you make friends with on holidays are the type of people that you should never contact once the holiday is over. That's definitely the moral of this movie as one couple discovered how much of a nightmare another can be in their own surroundings.

The sane couple in question were Americans named Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy). Work had relocated them to England and while on holiday in Italy they ended up meeting English couple Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi). At first, it seemed like a couples match made in heaven. Even the kids got along with each other.

Then Louise and Ben along with their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) made the mistake of spending the weekend at Paddy and Ciara's farmhouse where the latter couple kept giving red flags. The biggest ones, not just in relation to their lack of boundaries but also surrounding their mute son, Ant (Dan Hough). 

As the movie progressed, Louise was the one to mostly realise that something was amiss with Paddy and Ciara and tried to get Ben to leave with her and Agnes. They nearly got away too until Agnes toy bunny provided an obstacle for them to return and have to deal with Paddy's erratic behaviour.

By the time we get to the third act of the movie, it's revealed that Ant wasn't Paddy and Ciara's son but one they kidnapped after stealing from and murdering his real parents. They also cut out his tongue and the same fates were intended for Louise, Ben and Agnes. At this point, this was where the movie got rather unhinged.

I never quite imagined James McAvoy would fully embrace the horror baddie but he absolutely went for it as Paddy dropped all pretences and tried to kill the American couple. It's a delightfully nutty performance but while Paddy might have embraced his craziness, this didn't end well for him as this time both him and Ciara picked the wrong couple to try and kill. Let's say he absolutely got his just desserts.

- This Is a remake of the Danish-Dutch film of the same name that came out in 2022. I'll have to watch sometime.

- The original film being inspired by a Danish and Dutch couple. Ant was also Danish and there was a Danish couple at the start of the movie.

- Standout music: Let's just say James McAvoy gave a very memorable rendition of Eternal Flame and that's putting it mildly.

- Chronology: Present day in both Italy, London and Devon.

Speak No Evil from what I can tell (having not seen the original) is definitely a worthy remake. Purely for the delightfully unhinged performance that James McAvoy does give in the film and the remote surrounding adding to the tension overall. A great horror film in a year that's had quite a few of them.

Rating: 7 out of 10