American remakes of European films are always tricky propositions, especially horror/thrillers. European films are not afraid to go to bleak, dark endings, following through on the promise of bleak dark films. American movie producers think more in $$$ than in artistic expression, so there’s always going to be a built in happy ending. As such, a remake of the Danish 2022 Speak No Evil into a happy ending American film seems like a disaster. I’m happyish to report that 2024’s “happy-go-lucky” Speak No Evil isn’t a disaster…even though it does lose some bite in the translation.
On Holiday in Italy, Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise Dalton (Mackenzie Davis) are hoping their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) will benefit from a little R&R after a tumultuous life roller coaster of the last couple years. At another dinner of boring tourist monologues, Ben finds friends in fellow vacationing couple Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and their son Ant (Dan Hough), also looking for some relief. After enjoying the rest of the vacay together, Paddy invites the Daltons to stay at their home in rural west England. The family agrees, and, well, I think you might see where this is going to go…
How did James Watkins decide to translate a bleak, biting social satire into a bigger crowd pleasing horror movie? The short answer: telegraphing. His 2024 Speak No Evil isn’t subtle. The minute we meet Paddy, it’s clear something is off with that guy, and yet this dumb silly American couple can’t see it through their own naivete. And that’s just the beginning of the movie! The minute we get to rural, western England, Paddy really ups the “charm”, getting more and more brazen about his intentions toward the Daltons. The thing is, these choices are SO brazen that it transforms the movie from a bleak satire into a deranged horror comedy. Nothing is more silly than Agnes’s anxiety relief rabbit toy, which happens to get “lost” in the most weird places possible. My personal favorite is a dance number that the kids put on, where Paddy does his best Will Ferrell impression critiquing the kids’ enthusiasm. The ending turns into your run of the mill slasher finale as the studio probably wanted, but at that point, I was in on Speak No Evil’s silly nonsense I was only disappointed the ending wasn’t as dumb funny as the first hour.
Casting helps Watkins complete his mission. To tether Speak No Evil even a little bit to it’s 2022 inspiration, Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis are good in the thankless roles they’re forced to play. The married fight the two of them have is maybe the only honest, real sequence in the movie, that they both nail. But this film is basically a James McAvoy vehicle. I’m certain the direction he got after he did a take was “James, that was great, but um, can you do the next one like you’re on a drug diet of cocaine and bath salts?” Each scene he seems like he’s making a mission and contract with the audience to find new ways to weird them out, making them at first nervous laugh then eventually laugh laugh at his performance. Whether he’s motormouthing or doing really weird ticks with his face, the essence of why Speak No Evil works is because of his all-in commitment to playing this unbelievable, psychotic force.
So if you’re going to see Speak No Evil because you have a Shudder account and loved the Danish 2022 version, you’re probably going to hate what James McAvoy and Watkins have done. I should’ve figured that out after the first trailer gave away the big, truly great, twist. But if you’re a dumb American sap like me, don’t make me think, I just want to be entertained, bring on the Kelis Ben Stiller dance number Blumhouse!