Cast your mind back to 15th September 2022 and you may recall the release of the Danish horror thriller, Speak No Evil. The film was made available to stream through Shudder, was bloody excellent, and at the time of its release it received an impressive four stars (out of five) from me.
Zip back to September 2024, and almost two years to the day sees the release of the US horror thriller, Speak No Evil. The film is new to UK cinemas from today (in the US from Friday), and yep, you guessed it, it is a remake of its Danish counterpart.
A necessary remake? Well, that’s up to you to debate, but in fairness as the original film was mostly an English-language horror, and a bloody brilliant one to boot, some have certainly questioned the US remake’s existence.
But either way, here we are, a new version of Speak No Evil has arrived, and if you’ve been to the cinema within the last few months you’ll have no doubt seen a trailer for the film. The trailer has been pretty much inescapable over the summer season and this in itself has become a bit of a running joke on social media.
However, the omnipresence of the trailer should at least tell you something important: Universal Pictures has faith in the movie. The studio has pumped a lot of money into marketing Speak No Evil, so they obviously believe it stands up.
And to be fair, it does. I’ll get to the specifics shortly, but this new version of Speak No Evil is surprisingly effective.
Yes, it follows many of the same beats as the original, but it also deviates from the previous path. The film is just as tense as what was served up the first time, and the cast are great.
Now, before I get ahead of myself, this US version of Speak No Evil is directed by James Watkins and stars James McAvoy, Aisling Franciosi, Scoot McNairy, and Mackenzie Davis. The film focuses on an American family who become friends with a British family, with terrifying results.
In the film, Ben and Louise Dalton are on holiday in Italy with their daughter Agnes, when they meet British couple Paddy and Ciara and their son Ant. The two families hit it off, Ben and Louise talk about how they have recently relocated to the UK, and they all spend the remainder of their holiday in each other’s company.
A short while later, after they have gone their separate ways, the Daltons receive an invitation to spend the week with Paddy and Ciara at their idyllic home in the West Country. The Daltons accept, but soon come to regret their decision when it becomes clear there is something not right about their hosts.
Now, if you have already watched the original version you’ll know the story sounds very familiar. This is because the premise is the same, and things generally stay the same for quite some time.
However, while there is a great deal of overlap here, it is all good stuff. There is a continual sense of unease throughout the film which keeps things interesting and you can’t help but get drawn into the story.
There are also some superb performances, most notably from James McAvoy as Paddy. McAvoy brings an intensity to the role which fits both the narrative and the tone of the movie perfectly.
Remember how dark he was in 2016’s Split? Well, it’s the same kind of darkness, but with even more of a disturbing and brutal edge.
Every actor in the film is excellent, but McAvoy steals every scene. The whole movie is one big game of cat and mouse and McAvoy is the biggest, cockiest Tom cat of them all.
A game of cat and mouse is essentially the best way to describe this film. All the way throughout the picture, Paddy and Ciara demonstrate some very troubling personality traits, it’s all intentional, and it’s all designed to unnerve Ben and Louise, as well as the audience.
And the great thing is, it does! The original film managed to get the level of suspense and tension just right and this latest iteration pulls it off too.
I was worried going into this film that I’d be bored, feeling like I’d seen it all before, and yet the movie held my attention from start to finish. It only dipped a little toward the end, when the movie enters Straw Dogs territory, but even then, I was still interested to see where it was all going.
And this brings me onto an important point that I mentioned earlier. While this film does follow the same template as the 2022 version, things do begin to change course around the midpoint onward.
Most notably, the end is different to what we got in the original. I prefer the original ending, and do believe it is better, however, there is a darkness in this version which caps things off neatly and is in keeping with the overall theme of the film.
If you’re a fan of the 2022 film, give this new version a watch. You’ll find much to like in here and I believe you’re be pleasantly surprised about how effective it is, even if you (mostly) know what’s coming.
On the flip-side, if you’re completely new to all this and you didn’t even know Speak No Evil was a remake, then go and watch this film and then watch the original. Check out the differences between the two, see which you prefer, and enjoy what’s on offer.
Last week I was very pleased with what Beetlejuice Beetlejuice brought to the table and felt it was a great, fun movie for the spooky season. This week I’m equally as pleased with Speak No Evil, and believe it delivers something unsettling and creepy that will hit just right as we head towards Halloween.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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