Speak No Evil Improves The Most Problematic Parts Of the Original (2025)

When it comes to horror franchises, not everything needs to be about slashers and monsters. Some can be cerebral thrillers and slow-burning, psychological mind-trips. The Danish movie, Speak No Evil, from 2022 was just that. It focused on a sadistic Dutch couple preying on a Danish family in the European countryside.

James Watkins' Speak No Evil is the 2024 remake, shifting the story to a pair of British villains manipulating an American family. Luckily, the movie is more self-aware and sensitive of the current sociopolitical climate globally. In the process, it refines the controversial parts of the original film and makes them even better.

2024's Speak No Evil Erases the Uncomfortable Kid in the Bed Arc

The New Speak No Evil Replaces Perverseness With Nuance

The original movie had the Danes, Bjørn and Louise, and their daughter, Agnes, in the countryside after an invite from Patrick and Karin, and their son, Abel. However, the vacation got uncomfortable when Patrick displayed his toxic masculinity. One jarring scene saw him taking Agnes and having her sleep in the same bed when he was naked. It was very creepy.

The Danes found the child and left the cottage angrily. Yet, they returned for her doll and decided to stay and give the Dutch couple a second chance. It made no sense at all. It felt like that disturbing scene was inserted into the movie for shock value. The new movie retools this by having the child in bed with both villains: James McAvoy's Paddy and his wife, Ciara. However, she is coddled by Ciara. The woman has an excuse: she lost her own daughter years back. It's still disturbing, but not to the uncomfortable degree as the Danish original.

2024's Speak No Evil Doesn't Make Its Muhajid a Killer

The Immigrant Arc Doesn't Have a Xenophobic Vibe

The original Speak No Evil had Muhajid as an immigrant who came over from the Middle East. He babysat Agnes and Abel, but the finale revealed he was a killer. He helped the Dutch villains murder parents, cut their children's tongues out, and then force them to take Bjørn and Louise as their parents. It was tasteless, given the backlash and stigma about immigrants in Europe. It still exists to this day, fueling discrimination.

The new horror movie doesn't use this xenophobic arc. It has a babysitter, Muhjid, who looks after the children when both sets of parents go out for dinner. Thankfully, Muhjid is changed to a former schoolteacher who genuinely cares for the children. Instead, a bar owner, Mike, is used as the accomplice in the finale. This ensures the racist energy of the original arc is axed.

2024's Speak No Evil Doesn't Make Its Villain a Sexual Deviant

Paddy Is a Tease and Not a Potential Sexual Abuser

The original movie had Bjørn stalking the Danes around the estate. He acted as a voyeur, spying on them in the shower and when they had sex. It was done to make Bjørn more unlikable. But it did feel like overkill and as if too much of the movie was forcing him to be crass. The remake axes this development completely.

Paddy Character Details

James McAvoy does keep his Bjørn counterpart, Paddy, as a flirty person. He even goes overboard with Ciara at dinner, faking a sexual act just to mess with Ben and Louise. He does hit on Louise, but it's more subtle. It adds a visceral edge to the rivalry that grows between him and Ben. It's less disturbing, but still shows that Paddy is evil. 2024's Speak No Evil Doesn't Make Ben a Coward.

Ben Feels Validation Thanks to Paddy in 2024's Speak No Evil

Ben Doesn't Display Cowardice Around Paddy the Way Patrick Does Bjørn

The original movie kept Patrick as a fearful person who was intimidated by the alpha in Bjørn. It made for a frustrating watch as Patrick had multiple reasons to leave. That's why, when Bjørn stoned the couple to death, he answered Patrick in a condescending manner when asked why he was doing it. He said it was because Patrick and his wife let him do it. It didn't feel fulfilling at all and made them poor protagonists who neglected their daughter's well-being for no logical reason.

The Speak No Evil reboot changes this by giving Ben a reason to want to be close to Paddy. Ben is submissive and feels like a failure, but he wants to embrace Paddy's alpha energy. It's due to Louise almost having an affair and marital trouble arising, which is the reason why they're vacationing. Ben thinks she likes a more aggressive man, so he tries to learn from Paddy, even if it keeps them in an endangering environment of toxic masculinity. It's sympathetic, but still leaves enough room to be annoyed by Ben's ignorance. Paddy keeps manipulating Ben's grief and weaponizing it in these vulnerable times, so Ben is attached like a magnet to someone finally showing him attention.

2024's Speak No Evil Gives Louise a Connective Thread to Her Counterpart

Louise Feels Sorry For Ciara

The original movie also made Louise seem like a coward. She didn't have to be subjugated, but she stayed, too. It felt more plot convenient than anything, as she didn't have anything in common with Karin. The Speak No Evil remake makes Louise a figure who's less a coward, and more about compassion.

Louise wants to be there for Ciara after hearing she lost a daughter. She also wants to push back against Paddy's nasty behavior, as she thinks it's hurting his son, Ant. It makes Louise more proactive as she is ready to throw hands to protect Ant, not realizing he had his tongue cut out and isn't even the villain's son.

2024's Speak No Evil Lets the Kids and Heroes Win

The New Speak No Evil Has a Happy Ending

The original movie had the villains murdering the parents. Abel was killed and Agnes had her tongue cut out. She was then forced to take on Abel's role, lure in another family, and then set herself up to be replaced. It was a dark ending that rivaled movies such as Eden Lake. Luckily, the new Speak No Evil doesn't go this morbid route.

The heroes kill the villains, while Ant gets revenge for his family by bludgeoning Paddy to death. Agnes doesn't lose her tongue either. They all leave the estate as a family to inform the police of the evil in town. It nods to endings from movies such as Pearl and The Hills Have Eyes, where the heroes do get a triumphant ending at times. Watkins admitted he couldn't end things on a dour note, as he felt he wouldn't have serviced the audience well. This finale augurs better, as it's what the spirit of cinema is about: not having fans wallow in depressing finishes.

Speak No Evil is now playing in theaters.

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Speak No Evil (2024)

R

Horror

Thriller

A family is invited to spend a whole weekend in a lonely home in the countryside, but as the weekend progresses, they realize that a dark side lies within the family who invited them.

Director

James Watkins

Release Date

September 13, 2024

Cast

James McAvoy , Mackenzie Davis , Scoot McNairy , Alix West Lefler , Aisling Franciosi

Writers

James Watkins

Runtime

110 Minutes

Main Genre

Horror

Studio(s)

Blumhouse

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures