The psychological horror film “Speak No Evil” captures the importance of intuition.
“Speak No Evil” is an R-rated, one hour, 50-minute-long horror and drama flick released in Sept.
The film is a remake of the Dutch-Danish film, “Speak No Evil,” which was released in 2022.
The plot revolves around an American family, the Daltons, who go on vacation in Italy where they meet a British family. The interaction between the two families is odd in the beginning when Paddy, the father of the British family, drags a pool lounger loudly across the ground after asking the Daltons if he could have it. Another creepy moment between the two families is when Paddy offers Agnes Dalton, the American daughter, a ride on his scooter. Louise Dalton, the American mother, is clearly hesitant to take the offer. Her concern can be felt through the screen through the booming noise of the speeding bike as the two take a quick loop around the block. Paddy and Ciara’s son, Ant, is also non-verbal, which adds to the slightly off feeling of the British family.
Despite the odd moments, the families become very friendly by the end of the vacation. Paddy invites the Daltons to visit their farmhouse in Devon, England sometime.
Louise is a very anxious person, and her intuition is spot on throughout the film. The film would have a very different ending if Louise was laid-back or calm. Against horror-genre type, Louise, and not a male character, is the main protector in this film.
When the Daltons received an invitation to the farmhouse via postcard in the mail, Louise’s initial–intuitive–answer was not to go because they do not really know the British family that well. Ben Dalton, the American father, is disappointed by her response, so Louise changed her mind. The two were already struggling in their marriage since they moved from America to London for Ben’s sake. Later in the movie, it is revealed that their marriage also had loyalty problems in the past.
The strange encounters truly begin once the Daltons arrive at the British family’s house. Ant, the British son, is the key giveaway that something is off. He tries to tell Ben something when his parents are not around, but he gets interrupted by his father. Ant shows Agnes a watch from his father’s dresser, and he later lifts his shirt to reveal marks and bruises. Ant is stiff and not responsive around his parents. Viewers can interpret and sense early in the visit that he is afraid of his parents.
Paddy, Ant’s father, has inappropriate manners and actions. He comments on Louise’s body, kisses her cheek, force feeds her meat, hugs her forcefully, and makes peculiar jokes.
Ciara, Ant’s mother, also makes inappropriate jokes, creates unusual sculptures, and lets Paddy act in suspicious ways.
One memorable scene is when the four adults go out to dinner at an expensive private seafood restaurant. Paddy and Ciara are quite comfortable with themselves, their jokes, and their feelings. But the sickening tension between the couples is palpable.
Discomfort is the perfect way to describe the film because it is what I felt watching it. There are several scenes in “Speak No Evil” that kept me on the edge of my seat while also peeking through my hands from second-hand anxiety and awkwardness.
The big reveal left me shocked in the theater, and the movie only turned more horrifying when the truth was discovered.
The Dalton characters all demonstrated major growth by the end of the film. Ben Dalton was less of a pushover, Louise Dalton became stronger, and Agnes Dalton grew braver. Agnes relied heavily on her stuffed bunny to lessen her anxiety, but she no longer needed her bunny by the end.
There were many parts of the movie that made me want to yell at the main characters for making poor choices, but those choices created the horrific story that “Speak No Evil” is.
The film is directed by James Watkins. Paddy is played by actor James McAvoy, who also played a mentally disturbed character in “Split,” and “Glass.” He was in the horror movie, “It Chapter Two” as well. Ciara is played by actress Aisling Franciosi, who has been in several horror films. Actress Mackenzie Davis played Louise, and actor Scoot McNairy played Ben. Agnes is played by Alix West Lefler, and Ant is played by Dan Hough.
“Speak No Evil” has an 84% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it is certified fresh on the Tomatometer. The Rotten Tomatoes audience rating is 85%. The film has a 6.9/10 IMDb rating. The 2022 Dutch-Danish film, “Speak No Evil” has the same Rotten Tomatoes critic rating as the 2024 American film, but the audience score is 57%. The IMDb rating is also lower for the 2022 film with a 6.6/10.
“Speak No Evil” is a psychological horror movie that I would see again. It had an intense plot with a shocking twist. I felt like I was in the movie because I was anxious about what was going to happen the entire time. All the actors did a phenomenal job, especially the child actors. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys the thrill of horror films.
The film is still available in theaters. It can also be watched on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and YouTube.