"CATCH YOU FUCKERS AT A BAD TIME?"

Speak No Evil (2024 remake)

The original 2022 Danish film SPEAK NO EVIL is such a merciless wringer of discomfort that late in the movie I still wasn’t sure if it would end up being a horror movie, and it didn’t matter. In fact, it’s almost a relief when things get dangerous because at least it ends the relentless social torture.

It’s about a couple with a young kid who meet another couple with a young kid while on vacation, they have some laughs together and later, back at home, one couple gets a letter from the other inviting them to come visit. They know it’s kinda crazy because they barely know them, but they decide to be spontaneous for once.

Then it’s a painful gauntlet of awkward non-horror situations stretching their natural politeness to the limit: excitedly feeding a specially prepared meat dish to a known vegetarian, going way overboard in chastising their kid’s alleged missteps, holding hugs too long, coercing them to leave the kids with a questionable babysitter, going out for dinner and practically fucking in public. If a button of cultural difference, class difference or manners exists, these people are gonna start banging on it like they’re playing Mortal Kombat. Huge lines are crossed and then explained away with sob stories that whiplash the guests from indignation to guilt. The scariest part is not trying to escape violence, but just trying to leave without saying goodbye, then having to come back because they forgot something. And of course the whole ordeal exposes cracks in their marriage, insecurities about masculinity, etc.

I got the idea somewhere that it was meant to be specific to Danish culture and their sense of politeness, but I related to it strongly, so it makes sense that now there’s a Blumhouse-produced remake where the put-upon family is American – Scoot McNairy (AFTERMATH) as Ben and Mackenzie Davis (TULLY) as Louise. If you need a stronger reason for a remake than “it’s fun to see a different variation in a different culture” then I’m not gonna try to sell you on this, but I think it’s a solid remake with a very different last 20 minutes or so, and well-executed faithfulness for the rest. It’s effective enough that I was never thinking “Oh, this is just the same thing as before,” but instead, “Oh god, why am I putting myself through this again?”

The Daltons moved to London for a job that got cancelled, so they have time to drive out to the country and stay with Paddy (James McAvoy, THE POOL) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi, THE NIGHTINGALE). McAvoy is definitely going for it and is very upsetting even though he plays him a little more shady upfront than Fedja van Huêt’s initially charming Patrick in the original. There’s a memorable part where he smiles and acts happy with angry tears in his eyes, but mostly you could say he’s being kind of subtle compared to what he did in SPLIT.

I thought this might be a rare case of an actor getting buff to look like an asshole, not a super hero, but I guess this has been McAvoy’s build lately. Maybe that adds some authenticity that he once played weiners and now insists on asserting dominance over everybody.

McNairy is great because he’s playing a guy who has been, to use a gross word, cuckolded, and he has a scene where he loses his shit and turns into a baby. Then he gets it together and acts heroically, but he does all this without seeming like the archetype of the aggrieved dude trying to prove he can “man up.” Just a nice guy who’s kind of a mess but manages to come through in the end.

Davis, meanwhile, comes off as more uptight and grating than Sidsel Siem Koch’s version of the character. I hate guns as much as Louise does and I’m more of a vegetarian than her, but her occasional snide comments on this stuff made me think come on lady, cool it, you’re embarrassing us. I realize now that one of the meanings of the title might be that they keep being afraid to speak up against these micro-aggressions, but I would argue that there are a couple times when they do speak up and shouldn’t. Still, I can’t help but relate to her and sympathize with her constant empty smiles barely covering her deep discomfort.

Finally, Franciosi keeps us on our toes with lots of ambiguity about how complicit Ciara is and how much she’s trapped in a bad situation. Is her friendlier demeanor cover for Paddy, or is it self defense? It’s a less showy but crucial role.

The last stretch is the part that veers most from the original by building to more of a fight for survival. I guess it’s supposed to be bad for Hollywood to remake something and add action, but I’m afraid I enjoy action. Good choice. It fits. Does it end up being one of those movies where the timid liberals prove their salt by throwing down with guns after all? Not really, and I really appreciate that Louise just does not know how to look cool holding a gun. Like she wouldn’t even want to look cool, it goes against her beliefs.

This also doesn’t quite feel like some LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT/HILLS HAVE EYES shit where they have become the savages and what have they done. I guess I don’t really know how it wants me to feel about it, but that’s okay. (More on the ending in the spoiler zone post-script below.)

The writer/director of the remake is James Watkins, who is not American, but English. So if you got a problem take it up with the monarchy. He’s the director of EDEN LAKE and THE WOMAN IN BLACK and he wrote and second unit directed THE DESCENT PART 2, so he has some experience in horror that ever so slightly transcends being of a crass commercial nature. I kinda liked this one.

 

P.S.

BIG-ASS ENDING SPOILERS: I think I heard some grumbling about the way the ending was changed, and then I read that the director of the original, Christian Tafdrup, didn’t like it. “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.” He said that an audience he saw it with cheered “like being at a rock concert” whereas “People left my film traumatized.”

I see his point but I gotta confess… it was the first two thirds of his movie that haunted me afterwards. I completely forgot that they didn’t get away in the end until I read the Wikipedia summary just now. If it had shocked me I imagine I would agree with him. Adding catharsis, I now realize, changes the whole outlook of the thing. On the other hand, that’s part of what makes that section of the remake exciting, that it does finally depart from the tone of the original and gives us a different type of thrills. And  in its defense it’s not a completely sanitized ending. It’s about a small child beating a man’s head to pulp with a brick. It’s pretty fucked up.

If I had to recommend only one of these, of course I’d go with the original. That’s because the remake is one of the most upsetting movies I’ve ever seen. And the reason is one of the changes made to the scene where the kids (Agnes played by Alix West Lefler [Riverdale] and Ant played by Dan Hough [Hollyoaks]) want to perform a cute dance they made up for the grown ups, but Paddy keeps stopping them and humiliating Ant, saying that he’s doing a bad job. It’s an extremely stressful scene in both versions, but the remake ups the ante by changing the song to “Cotton Eye Joe” by Rednex. You wanna talk about leaving a film traumatized? That thing got stuck in my head for hours. An absolute fucking nightmare. I can’t believe they got away with an R rating.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 at 7:04 am and is filed under Reviews, Horror. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

20 Responses to “Speak No Evil (2024 remake)”

  1. Careful with what you say about Cotton Eye Joe. Nobody knows where that guy came from and where did he go. He might not like what he hears from you.

    Also Armand van Helden’s ghetto house remix is a lot of fun IMO
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15m2ORdQi9A

  2. This type of “social torture/mannersploitation” movie is one of my favorite kinds, though usually I can only enjoy it (as opposed to enduring it) when it’s a comedy, like CARNAGE. In that context, it’s just so satisfying to see the tension escalate and the acting via body language and mannerisms. But the idea of a horror/thriller using those tactics against me is one of the most effective ways to get me to yell at my screen like I’m my dad.

    At least this doesn’t sound like it goes full FUNNY GAMES by rubbing my nose in my choices to engage with the filmmaker’s art, but it sounds like the kind of movie where I’ll be vocally wishing for Bruce Dern’s neighbor character from THE ‘BURBS to show up mid dinner party and cut through the shit to call out buff Professor X to find out where the bodies are buried.

  3. I will gladly watch Scoot McN in anything & everything. So good in True Detective S3 and Hap & Leonard S2 & S3, playing almost entirely opposite characters, & just always so reliably excellent.

  4. I thought this was much better than the original, which I thought was despicable and is maybe the movie I most regret watching all the way through. I thought the ending to the original was truly, actually, *literally* torture porn. And on a separate note, I don’t mind the simmering in discomfort and anxiety, but I want the simmer to ultimately come to a boil, and in this remake it actually does.

  5. I have not seen either version because they sound excruciating– in a pointed and purposeful way, but the idea of escalating social awkwardness is not my idea of a good time. However, I am very tempted to watch the remake because it features a Halt and Catch Fire reunion with Davis and McNairy. And that as one of my favorite TV series of this century.

  6. As someone born in Cornwall, to Devonshire parents, raised in Somerset and now living and working in Dorset, I have to say MacAvoy’s wurzel accent is terrible. Fun movie though.

  7. I was going to point out that this is the second Halt and Catch Fire reunion for Scoot McNairy because in Argo his character is married to Kerry Bishé’s. But then I discovered Argo came out two years before the show premiered! So I guess it was a preunion?

    Anyway, I’m with Bill that it’s a truly outstanding TV show (first season is a little wobbly but after that it really takes off) and a great showcase for both McNairy and MacKenzie Davis.

  8. I haven’t seen either of these, because I am in agreement with Bill that they sound excruciating. I also do not enjoy cringe comedy for much the same reason. I am fascinated, though, by the idea of social politeness leading to terrible things. Usually it’s just awkward encounters that could have been avoided, rather than the extreme circumstances in this movie. But it’s also come up in a true crime podcast that I used to listen to, My Favorite Murder. I know, I know, true crime can have a reputation of being skeevy, what with making real life tragedy into entertainment for others. I am not such a fan of it as to try to defend it, but will defend myself by saying I’m not *that* into it. There are definitely some legit arguments there, but it’s also part of human nature to be fascinated by these things, so shrug emoji. And I’m sure My Favorite Murder, in particular, probably has stuff that’s not so great but if they do, I haven’t heard about it. I just bring it up because they have used the phrase “fuck politeness” as a sort of catch phrase because so many of the stories they told have people (usually women) who were in some hairy situation and didn’t extricate themselves, even though they were uncomfortable, because they didn’t want to come off as rude. See also: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. I have no idea what the stats would be in victims of violent crimes going along with something to not appear rude, but it resonates with me because I am totally a push over. I definitely have my moments of stubbornness and I won’t do something I don’t want to do with people and situations I’m familiar with, but my default in social situations is to not draw attention or make waves. Since these are my natural inclinations I have difficulty gauging the proper level when I do stand up for myself. I know for sure there have been times in my life when I thought I was just behaving like other people would and asserting myself normally, but in reality I was going too far. So this part of the review really struck me – “I would argue that there are a couple times when they do speak up and shouldn’t”.

  9. Sounds like the typical USAn remake rubbish: they take a film, they throw out everything which they are unable to understand (30%), they throw out everything which they believe the USAn audience will be unable to understand (50%), they throw out everything “ferrin” (20%). Then they add an imbecilic happy ending with “action”. The End!

    Just like their remake of “Spoorloos”.

  10. SPOILERS

    I didn’t watch the original because I couldn’t imagine watching something so agonizing that ends with what sounds like the bleakest conclusion imaginable. The director sounds ridiculous. “Typical American fools! Who DOESN’T want to watch a family tortured psychologically and then literally to death for two hours?” Uh, MOST PEOPLE. I’m actually excited to watch the remake because it actually has them overcome the evil husband and wife.

  11. Yeah that comment from the director of the original (and campeonato’s reiteration if it) just made me roll my eyes and snort in derision. It’s edgelordism pretending to be elitism. “This remake is American crap because it didn’t embrace the true bleakness of real life and is opts for entertainment instead of punishing you for your idealism of wanting to see protagonists escape horrible deaths.” Blah blah blah, sorry you grew up pushing the Wheel of Pain or whatever, I’m just here to watch movies, not be reminded of “teh troof” that everything sucks and villains always win and hope is for the weak. Demon Dave at least had the decency to do his performative “all other movies are pussy shit because they aren’t as hardcore and don’t grapple with the idea of TRUE EVIL” from an actual morgue in exaggerated WWE style. Now I want to watch this remake even more just to enjoy it for its “happy” ending and ignore the original even harder. That’ll show those Danish!

  12. O Campeonato – What do you mean “they”? That was the same director!

  13. I appreciate sliding from “robots” to subservient folk who don’t know they’re being used. Subtle, the way I like the threads. No real interest in this or the original but I’m sure my fiancée would be all about them so I’m in for a watch one day.

  14. Also, I guess I’m a typical American, but I looked up “ferrin” and I do not get what I’m apparently supposed to understand.
    Kind of like when a Danish actor tries to do a Southern American dialect I suppose.
    Also, also The Vanishing? Lord, I would’ve used a Nightwatch comparison but dude would end up saying the same thing ultimately.
    Is foreign remake hate still a thing? If one version is lacking, neat, maybe the other fixes that. If both are engaging in and of themselves aren’t we all richer as film-goers?
    I’d cite our two most recent Godzilla films as proof there IS room to eat cake and keep it on the mantle too, but then I’m outside the scope of direct “remake”.

    No real sense in putting this here, but Vern, Magic Cop.

  15. On the one hand… I don’t think I’d watch a straight remake. Once was enough I also get why they changed the ending – I really do! it does sound appealing, and better as entertainment.
    On the other hand, to my mind at least it absolutely does make it a much lesser movie.

    Look, the original was one of the few modern horror movies that spoke to me about the state of our world in clear and uncertain terms, and it hit me like a hammer. It’s about people abusing mores and social constructs to literally get away with murder because most of us are not equipped socially or emotionally to deal with sociopaths.
    There’s a direct correlation between that and what’s been happening over the last decade with… certain ideologies, because the people who push them could not give any less of a shit about things like decorum, empathy or even basic facts, while most of us are somehow still compelled to be civil, not lie, take the higher road when faced with that sort of thing. They’re gaming the system the same way Patrick and Karin are.
    Because we let them.

    Change the ending, and it robs it of so much of that impact. To be honest I do agree with Vern and think that original last act is weaker than everything that preceded it – maybe it could have been better executed, I’d need to watch the movie again, which… thanks but no thanks. But it definitely follows from everything that came before.

  16. Oops, forgot to put a warning about spoilers, but hey, hopefully not needed this far down.

    Also, “Ferrin” is obviously about all Hollywood movies being all “don’t worry, be happy!”. You know, smile, like that lady in last year’s smash feel-good hit Smile 2.

  17. Dread, I really like that reading of the movie. You make a strong argument for the importance of the ending.

  18. Dread- I thought about that comparison after I posted my last over the top comment, but doesn’t the remake make that same point though? And take it even further- SPOILER

    in that the meek tolerance of uncivilized behavior is what got all those other families killed, and it would result in this current couple and their children getting killed just the same if they just kept playing by the rules of politeness, but they reach a very understandable breaking point and actually fight back, which is what society writ large should be doing to thwart the element that’s seized power if we all want to survive this ordeal. Don’t play nice and take the high road, RESIST and you might still have a chance. The original seems to be saying “you could have fought back or just abandoned the bunny/country when you had the chance to leave, but now it’s too late, you are stuck being killed and your children raised by monsters, because you let this happen, sorry.” And that just seems doomer/fatalistic to me. I prefer the idea that there still some fight left in us. Otherwise why bother rubbing our noses in it?

  19. Crudnasty – you might be right, as mentioned I haven’t seen the remake yet.
    But I found the ending really bracing in a way I can’t imagine a cathartic ending would be. I agree that what you say should be the takeaway in real life no matter which version of the ending, but I think this story absolutely deserves a bleak, hopeless finale. What you call fatalistic is confrontational to me; it’s an angry, bright red welt of a film and if it had given me what I wanted it wouldn’t have sunk its hooks anywhere as deep.

    Also, it’s Danish, and the Danish…. don’t tend to do upbeat.

  20. Dread- I appreciate that. There is something about a slap in the face that feels more effective than providing the escape. Maybe this is what I was supposed to learn from FUNNY GAMES that just pissed me off instead. Something like the way that the act of telling someone about your plans and goals gives you a bit of the dopamine of achieving them, and then you never actually put in the work to do what you talked about, and so sometimes talking about your plans robs you of the motivation to actually do them. We do that with our entertainment and so there’s no motivation for anyone to take any real action. But I feel like I’ve lived plenty of that lesson in real life lately, and the American ending is more instructive to me than the kick in the face reminder of “you let this happen.” I’ve been screaming this without a tongue at anyone who will listen for at least a decade now, so some brick face catharsis is what I need in 2025 to be able to endure. But maybe Denmark is right, and they should play the original version on repeat on E! Network and ABC Family for the foreseeable future. We do deserve it.

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