Horror remakes. Hollywood loves to eat it up. Every year at least three or four are expected to be produced. However, when it came to “Speak No Evil,” it was an interesting case because the original Danish film only came out two years ago and was produced by Blumhouse, whose track record is hit or miss with hits like “Get Out” and misses such as “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” I also haven’t seen the original “Speak No Evil” which added to my curiosity. I went into “Speak No Evil” with an open mind and I’m so happy to say that not only is this a hit, this is a horror remake done right.
“Speak No Evil” is directed by James Watkins (“The Woman in Black”) and stars Scoot McNairy (“Gone Girl,” the upcoming “A Complete Unknown”) and Mackenzie Davis (“Terminator: Dark Fate,” “Blade Runner 2049”) as an American couple who, along with their daughter (Alix West Lefler), go on vacation with a charming British family, Paddy and Ciara played by James McAvoy (“Split” “It: Chapter Two”) and Aisling Franciosi (“The Last Voyage of the Demeter”). But what starts out as peaceful slowly turns into a horrifying nightmare.
The premise of people going on vacation and realizing that it’s a horrifying nightmare is not particularly anything new in the genre, but where it really exceeds expectations is in the execution of the storyline. As the film goes on, it does a great job of making you increasingly uncomfortable in the situations. Not only that, but it makes you root for the characters which can be hard for a film to do. Yes, they have problems affecting their personal lives, but you want them to succeed. You feel like a fly on a wall in several scenarios where there is a great amount of subtext as the protagonists try to conceal their true feelings.
Everyone in the cast is a standout, particularly McAvoy and Franciosi. Their characters are initially presented as charming but are later revealed to be twisted psychopaths. Even from the first few scenes you can tell that something is not right with them. McAvoy and Franciosi do a great job of making the audience uneasy yet captivated. They’re also darkly funny, which was very unexpected for a horror thriller.
Davis and McNairy also sell their performances as believable. As the film goes on they hide their inner feelings by pretending everything is okay when in reality they are desperate to escape Paddy and Ciara’s clutches. Even Dan Hough, who plays Paddy and Ciara’s “son,” gives a great performance. In the opening scene he has this specific look on his face and you can tell that his parents aren’t actually his parents and the reason for him not being able to speak is both heartbreaking and messed up.
One of the things I was hoping for was that it wouldn’t copy the original film’s ending. I won’t give it away, but the ending to the original is highly disturbing to say the least. Thankfully the remake avoids this and has a more crowd pleasing ending. My theater even applauded at a couple moments. If it ended the same as the original, it would’ve ruined the entire movie.
From a technical standpoint, “Speak No Evil” is a visually beautiful movie. The fact that it takes place mostly in a remote setting adds an extra layer of tension as the family has to rely on their wits to survive.
As for issues, there were some minor pacing issues in the middle of the film and there could’ve been more suspense in the first half. The suspense is thrilling with a final act that will leave you breathless and cheering, but there could’ve been more suspenseful elements within that first half.
What could’ve been just another generic horror remake is surprisingly well acted, well paced (for the most part) and gorgeously shot while not feeling like a cheap imitation. It’s one of the most surprising films of the year earning “Speak No Evil” a B+.
Commentary writer Linden Lansberry can be reached at [email protected].
