Speak No Evil is a 2024 American psychological horror thriller film written and directed by James Watkins. A remake of the 2022 Danish-Dutch film of the same name, the film stars James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, and Scoot McNairy. Its plot follows an American family who are invited to stay at a remote farmhouse of a British couple for the weekend, and the hosts soon begin to test the limits of their guests as the situation escalates. Jason Blum serves as a producer through his Blumhouse Productions banner. Speak No Evil premiered at the DGA Theater in New York City on September 9, 2024, and was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on September 13, 2024. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $76 million worldwide against a budget of $15 million.

Plot

While vacationing in Italy, American couple Louise and Ben Dalton and their preteen daughter Agnes meet and befriend free-spirited British couple Paddy and Ciara and their son Ant. Back home in London, Louise and Ben are at odds over his unemployment and her infidelity. A letter arrives from Paddy and Ciara inviting the Daltons to their remote farmhouse in Devon. The family decides to go, hoping the change of scenery will be good for them and for Agnes, who has anxiety and is attached to a stuffed bunny toy named Hoppy. Arriving at the farmhouse, Louise, Ben, and Agnes are warmly welcomed, but as they spend more time at the house, they begin to grow unnerved by strange incidents and passive-aggressive behavior from their hosts that cross boundaries. Louise is also troubled by Paddy and Ciara's aggressive treatment of Ant, whom they learn was born with a condition that left him with a smaller tongue and an inability to communicate. One evening, the adults go out for dinner, leaving Agnes and Ant in the care of a babysitter named Muhjid, which unnerves the Daltons. While playing hide and seek with Muhjid, Ant shows Agnes a collection of watches Paddy has and a message written in Danish, but Agnes is unable to understand him. At dinner, Paddy challenges Louise's vegetarianism and jokingly simulates a sex act with Ciara, shocking their guests. Upon returning, Louise later discovers Agnes has been moved to share a bed with a drunken Paddy and Ciara. Horrified, Louise flees with her family but are forced to return by Agnes, who left Hoppy behind. Upon retrieving the toy, Paddy and Ciara apologize for their behavior, and subtly accuse the Daltons of judging them. The Daltons decide to stay to keep the peace, but the strange, unsettling behavior continues. After an incident where Paddy throws a mug at Ant, Ant steals a set of keys and leads Agnes to a locked shed. Inside is a collection of luggage and personal possessions belonging to various families. Using a photo album, Ant reveals to Agnes that Paddy and Ciara are not his real parents but are serial killers who lure families to their farmhouse, rob and kill them before cutting out their children's tongue and using them to assist in luring their next victims. Ant shows Agnes that this has happened to him and his family, and that Paddy and Ciara intend to make the Daltons their next victims. Agnes fakes having her period and manages to get Louise and Ben alone to explain the situation. At their wit's end, the family decides to leave, calmly so as not to arouse suspicion and contact the police to save Ant. Paddy and Ciara, realizing that their plan has been figured out, damage the Daltons' car, and hide Agnes's bunny to delay them, subtly mocking them as they do so. When the Daltons finally drive off, Paddy throws Ant, who cannot swim, into a pond. Ben rescues Ant before a gun-wielding Paddy and Ciara capture them. They are forced to transfer their savings before preparing to be killed and Agnes's tongue to be cut out. A struggle ensues, Paddy is injured, and the Daltons and Ant flee into the house. Paddy, Ciara, and their accomplice Mike hunt for the family. Louise kills Mike and saves Ben before the family flees to the roof. Ciara attacks but falls to her death. As the family attempts to escape, Paddy emerges, holding Agnes at gunpoint. Agnes injects Paddy with a syringe of ketamine, incapacitating him. As the family departs, Ant approaches his defeated "father", and after Paddy acknowledges his fate by saying to Ant, "That's my boy", an enraged Ant beats him to death with a brick while having a mental breakdown. The family and Ant leave the farmhouse; on the drive, Agnes gives her stuffed bunny to Ant, who sobs quietly.

Cast

James McAvoy as Paddy Mackenzie Davis as Louise Dalton Scoot McNairy as Ben Dalton Aisling Franciosi as Ciara Alix West Lefler as Agnes Dalton Dan Hough as Ant Kris Hitchen as Mike Motaz Malhees as Muhjid

Production

James Watkins wrote and directed the film for Blumhouse Productions. It is a remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name. In April 2023, James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis were reported to be in the cast. The following month, Scoot McNairy joined the cast. Principal photography took place in Croatia and Gloucester, England, in May and was expected to end in July, before filming was suspended five days before it was to wrap up due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. In mid-November, production resumed in the United Kingdom, filming at Saxon's Lode Manor House near Malvern Hills, Worcestershire. The manor’s architecture provided the desired English backdrop for the movie's tense scenes.

Release

Speak No Evil premiered at the DGA Theater in New York City on September 9, 2024, and was released in theaters by Universal Pictures on September 13, 2024.

Reception

= Box office

= As of November 13, 2024, Speak No Evil has grossed $36.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $39.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $76.7 million. In the United States and Canada, Speak No Evil was released alongside The Killer's Game and Am I Racist?, and was projected to gross $10–13 million from 3,375 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $4.9 million on its first day, including $1.3 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $11.5 million, finishing second behind holdover Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. In its second weekend the film made $5.9 million (a drop of 48%), finishing in third.

= Critical response

= On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 198 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Harnessing sick suspense from the glimmer in James McAvoy's eye, Speak No Evil is the rare remake that hushes up concerns of 'been there, done that.'" Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of B+ on an A+ to F scale. The remake's ending sparked mixed reactions, as it contrasted the original film's ending where the antagonists killed the couple and cut their daughter's tongue before taking her in as their own. The original film's director and writer, Christian Tafdrup, criticized the change, adding, "I don't know what it is about Americans, but they are brought up for a heroic tale, where the good must win over the bad, and this version of the film cultivates that."

References

External links

Official website Speak No Evil at IMDb