One of the Year’s Best Horror Movies Just Hit Streaming (and is Certified Fresh)

James McAvoy’s latest psychological horror film, Speak No Evil, arrives on Peacock this Friday, bringing an impressive 84% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and one of the actor’s most chilling performances. That’s quite an achievement, considering McAvoy has a prolific career in genre cinema, with fan-favorite appearances in movies like Doctor Sleep, Split, and It Chapter Two. Yet, there’s a reason why Speak No Evil became a huge hit. This Hollywood remake of the Danish film of the same name is a bleak and unnerving story that lingers in the darkest corners of the mind long after the credits roll.

Speak No Evil follows an American family who accepts an invitation to spend a weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they met on vacation. The getaway should celebrate human connections, but things get increasingly weird soon after the Americans arrive. Even though director James Watkins changed the original movie’s ending to make it less unnerving, the Hollywood version of Speak No Evil is still a mean horror movie crafted to make audiences afraid of other people.

[Related: American Horror Remakes to Stream After Seeing Speak No Evil]

Of course, not everyone was happy with Watkins’ change. Filmmaker Christian Tafdrup, who directed and co-wrote the original Speak No Evil, was vocal about how the American remake ruined his unrelenting ending. Some reviews agreed with Tafdrup, as the original movie was conceived as a dark exploration of the horrors people suffer in the name of politeness, a concept that gets partially lost in the remake. Still, that didn’t stop Watkins’ version from getting a decent box office haul.

Speak No Evil Successful Journey

Speak No Evil‘s journey to the screen began in early 2023 when Blumhouse Productions announced Watkins would write and direct the remake of the Danish movie that had become a Shudder sensation. The project quickly gained momentum in April 2023 when James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis joined the cast, with Scoot McNairy signing the following month. 

Principal photography kicked off in Croatia before moving to England in May 2023. The production faced an unexpected challenge when filming was suspended just five days before completion due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. However, shooting resumed in mid-November after writers managed to get better contracts with Hollywood studios. 

Made on a modest budget of $15 million, Speak No Evil premiered at the DGA Theater in New York City on September 9, 2024, before hitting theaters nationwide on September 13. The film quickly proved to be a commercial success, debuting at $11.5 million in its opening weekend and securing second place at the box office behind Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. By November 2024, the film had amassed an impressive $76.7 million worldwide, with $36.9 million coming from domestic theaters. The film’s strong performance has made it Blumhouse’s highest-grossing release of 2024, outperforming other titles like Imaginary, Night Swim, and Afraid.

Speak No Evil starts streaming on Peacock on December 6. The film is also available on Blu-ray and DVD for those who prefer physical media.