James McAvoy Shines in the Dark and Disturbing ‘Speak No Evil’ (2024) – Movie Review

‘Speak No Evil’ is a bold remake with unsettling performances.

We currently live and breathe in the world of remakes and reboots, and horror movies are ripe for the picking. Horror is one of the most reliable genres at the box office, so it makes sense that a foreign thriller with a good amount of buzz would be an optimal choice to be remade with mass audience appeal. The 2024 ‘Speak No Evil’ is a remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name, a quick turnaround from a well-received film that is still fresh in the minds of horror fanatics. Diehard fans are asking the question: was a remake really necessary? The answer lies in a gray area, half yes and half no.

The remake centers on an American couple.

Ben and Louise Dalton (Scoot McNary and Mackenzie Davis) become vacation friends with an English couple, Paddy and Ciara (James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi), while vacationing in beautiful Italy with their children. When the vacation ends, Paddy and Ciara invite the Daltons to come stay with them at their farm in the country, where the Daltons quickly learn that not everything about Paddy and Ciara is what it seems.

The film’s marketing has justifiably centered around the unhinged McAvoy performance, which is what truly anchors the movie. McAvoy has an incredible superpower: he’s able to suddenly flip from being one of the most charming humans on the planet to one of the most psychotic and menacing presences on the big screen. We saw this fully realized in 2016’s ‘Split,’ where he played a character with multiple personalities. As Paddy, he is more in control of his emotions, which makes the performance that much more frightening when he decides to let the evil sideshow. Performances by McNary, Davis, and Franciosi are all suitable, but the movie really cooks when McAvoy is present.

Director and screenwriter James Watkins clearly understood what worked about the original Danish film.

He thoughtfully replicated the careful pacing. This isn’t a film of immediate spooks and scares. It lingers, letting the audience feel an impending sense of dread as the true nature of the antagonists starts to reveal itself. When things really ramp up, the film takes a realistic look at what would happen if a family were trying to leave a stressful situation without making a fuss. Horror movies, in particular, leave bold audience members saying, “Well, if it was ME in that situation, here’s what I would do…” ‘Speak No Evil’ plays with the reality that a lot of what you think you would do wouldn’t always work out as planned.

For those wondering if the events of 2024’s ‘Speak No Evil’ are the same as the original film, the answer is somewhat complicated. Without getting into spoiler territory, the film’s first and second acts are nearly identical to the original film, but it takes some pretty hefty detours in the third act finale. The original Danish film is notoriously dark and depressing, and the modifications made in this remake feel like they were done to satisfy audiences who may not be able to handle such distressing events.

Verdict

I give ‘Speak No Evil’ (2024) 3.5 out of 5 stars. For review purposes, the goal is to review this film for what it is and not constantly compare it to what came before. It is a stressful and scary experience, with a satisfying conclusion and a fantastic James McAvouy experience. We can be thankful that both films exist since enough changes were made to justify the experience for the most part. In a way, they act as alternate endings for each other, and that’s ok.

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