Speak No Evil Review: Cringy Descent Into Madness

Speak No Evil is the new film from James Watkins, best known for his UK horror films Eden Lake and The Woman in Black, the latter being the 2012 Gothic horror throwback starring Daniel Radcliffe. With Speak No Evil, Watkins attempts to give viewers a classic slow-burn horror-thriller, as a seemingly innocuous and normal situation is slowly peeled away to reveal something much darker and horrifying. Watkins achieves that goal pretty masterfully by honoring the concept of the original 2022 Danish film, while also giving it a distinctly American makeover, which both resonates with the deeper themes of the story and leaves enough to interpretation for each viewer to have their own takeaways. 

The story of Speak No Evil follows Ben and Louise Dalton (Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis), two Americans who moved to London with their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) and are taking a holiday in Italy. It’s there that the Daltons meet Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their son Ant (Dan Hough), a family as lively and carefree as the Daltons are nervous and timid. Opposites attract, they say, and the Daltons become quick friends with their new travel buddies. However, a meeting on vacation proves to be only a sampling: when the Daltons take up an invitation to visit Paddy and Ciara at their farm in the country, it slowly but surely becomes clear that friendship is not what the weekend away from civilization is really all about.

James Watkins’ script for this remake actually does the work of breaking some necessary new ground with the remake. The best horror stories take everyday experiences of life and twist them into something nightmarish; with Speak No Evil, Watkins turns the screws on every couple that’s ever had to suffer through an awkward outing, trip, or child playdate with another couple – which is to say, every person that’s ever been in a relationship. 

The protagonists are American in this version, and their behaviors and customs as Americans are put to good use, creating delicious subtext in juxtaposition to their UK counterparts in Paddy and Ciara. Watkins takes the story perfectly through the paces, starting at fake pleasantries and friendliness, which gives way to unsettling awkwardness and civil conflict, which eventually arrives at a cringey breakdown of niceties – and in this case, murderous rampage as fallout. The opening act is witty and funny with its dramatic irony, while the second act manages the make-or-break tightrope walk of keeping you intrigued by a vacation drama that gets increasingly uncomfortable. It must be acknowledged that the final act nearly collapses under the absurdness of certain character choices and plot contrivances, but still pulls off a final showdown that’s thrilling enough.     

Speak No Evil wouldn’t work at all if the chemistry of the ensemble cast wasn’t there. James McAvoy is a menace for every moment of screen time he gets, in the best way possible. The entire film is lively and off-kilter thanks to McAvoy’s performance, notably aided by Aisling Franciosi’s Ciara as the “Harley” to McAvoy’s “Joker.” Paddy’s passive-aggressive war with Mackenzie Davis’ Louise is an entire saga in itself – the same goes for the bromance story between McAvoy’s Paddy and Scoot McNairy’s Ben, and its commentary on manhood (or lack thereof). McNairy does a lot of understated but crucial heavy-lifting in the “straight man” role, while the story smartly makes Louise and Ben’s relationship complex enough to create deeper tension and shifting sympathies as the story peels back more and more layers. The younger cast members aren’t required to do as much, but both do their part admirably.   

Even with some groan-worthy moments of contrivance, it’s hard to remember the last time a horror-thriller film has been executed as well, with as many strong performances, as Speak No Evil. It’s another showcase of McAvoy’s immense talent for creating unnerving characters (see also: Split), and a strong endorsement that James Watkins may have found his best lane as a horror filmmaker. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Speak No Evil hits theaters on September 13th.