Speak No Evil – review by Oliver Copeland –
James Watson’s remake of Christian Tafdrup’s Danish horror film, ‘Speak No Evil,’ (in theaters now) presents a refined, toned-down rendition of its disturbing predecessor. The story
unfolds as a dysfunctional family, after encountering a seemingly perfect family during a trip to Italy, is lured into spending a week at their isolated farmhouse. As the two families interact, the
visiting family (Makenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, and Alix West Lefler) gradually uncovers their perfection is nothing more than a facade maintained by the other family (James McAvoy, Aisling
Franciosi, Dan Hough) as a ploy to rob and kill them.
The majority of the performances in the film I found to be nothing short of incredible. James McAvoy, as the “father” of the murderous family, is terrifying, especially when we see his
disguise as the perfect father start to fall apart. Considering his other roles (Split, Glass), he has mastered the art of acting completely insane. Aisling Franciosi’s performance as the murderous
mother is also pretty haunting, as she mixes her character’s psychotic personality with a dab of submissive fear toward the husband. Dan Hough’s portrayal of “Ant,” their mute son, is also
pretty terrifying, especially for not having any lines. He portrays his character’s emotions with incredible depth, and the audience immediately sympathizes with him. The average family, on
the other hand, I found to be far less memorable. Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy’s performance as the mother and father, portray characters with very little depth, other than their
dysfunction and their vices, and had the survival instincts equating to the protagonists in Bryan Bertino’s “Strangers”. With a combination of annoying character choices and characteristics, I
found their characters to be unbearable at parts.
In a sense, the film is fun, and significantly less darker than its counterpart, entertaining a far more psychological approach with far less in-your-face violence. It strays away from a
remake, regardless that the first two acts of both films are essentially the same, using its clever twists and social commentary on toxic masculinity, portrayed by the juxtaposition between the
two fathers. The additional satirical and nihilistic take on the ignorance of wrongdoings for the sake of keeping the peace is a clever bit of added flair, which steps the film up an additional
level compared to the original. The film does opt for a more toned-down ending, void of the shock value of the original, which makes it far more predictable. Regardless, Watson’s
interpretation is one that its audience will not soon forget. Overall, Watson’s rendition of Speak No Evil is incredibly entertaining, packed with clever twists and scares, making it what I believe
to be one of Blumhouses best. And, while not as dark or as scary as its original, it still makes for a fun, psychological descent into madness with some clever commentary on societal constructs.
Directed by: James Watkins
Starring: Makenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Alix West Lefler, James McAvoy, Aisling
Franciosi, Dan Hough
Released on Sept 9th, 2024
Oliver Copeland is a high school student from Los Angeles with a passion for all things horror. Taking special interest in films revolving around psychological fear, and with a passion for film and writing, he creates many short films of his own.
