Summary
Speak No Evilremake director James Watkins reveals that his upcoming movie features one big difference from the original. 2022’sSpeak No Evil, directed by Christian Tafdrup, chronicles the nightmare that ensues after a Danish family meets a Dutch family while away on holiday. The film quickly earned a reputation for its unique blend of shocking violence and very dark humor, and Blumhouse is now remaking the film for American audiences, with McAvoy starring opposite Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, and Aisling Franciosi.
In a recent interview withTotal Film(viaGamesRadar+) Watkins reveals that hisSpeak No Evilremake won’t include one fairly big aspect of the original movie. According to the director,audiences can expect the remake to tone down certain “explicit” aspects of the 2022 film, focusing more on the psychological thriller elements. Check out Watkins' comment and a new image of McAvoy from the film below:
“Christian [Tafdrup, director of the original] was really pushing the idea of how far people would comply, like an allegory almost. Our film is 100% a remake and it honors the original, but it also does something a little bit different.
“Our film is a lot less explicit. It’s a psychological thriller with a horrific concept embedded in it, rather than a straight horror film. It’s easy to get scares or shocks out of horrific actions. Since I’ve become a parent I guess I am more mindful of not just having clockwork horror.”
Why The Original Film Worked So Well
While there are certainly psychological thriller elements of the originalSpeak No Evil, which is really about how far the family at the center of the film will let their hosts go, it is also certainly a horror film. The original movie features a unique tone, especially by Hollywood movie standards, as it combines horror, pitch-black humor, and psychological thriller elements.The result is a biting satire that leaves viewers chuckling nervously one moment and shielding their eyes the nextfrom the horrors on screen.Speak No Evil’s endingalso caps the story off on a shocking note.
James McAvoy’s Speak No Evil Remake Has 1 Glaring Problem The Original Didn’t
Speak No Evil’s 2024 remake has to overcome a major hurdle if James McAvoy’s upcoming horror movie hopes to be as effective as the 2022 original.
To remove the more explicit horror from 2024’sSpeak No Evilis to remove a key ingredient of the film, thus changing its tone. From the initialSpeak No Eviltrailerthat was released earlier this year,the movie feels like a relatively standard Blumhouse thriller. While the general plot of the original obviously carries over, the change in tone means viewers might just be better off watching the original.
That being said, it’s also possible that theSpeak No Evilremake will delve into the psychology of its main characters in an interesting way, exploring its central themes in a manner that feels fresh and exciting. Plus,McAvoy has a proven ability to play twisted characters, and his performance alone could be worth the price of admission. It remains to be seen if 2024’sSpeak No Evilwill be able to recapture the magic of the original, but audiences should evidently not expect any truly shocking horror moments.
Speak No Evil
Cast
Speak No Evil is a 2024 horror-thriller film by writer-director James Watkins. A remake of the 2022 movie Speak No Evil follows a family who head to the country for a much-needed vacation - but the situation quickly deteriorates, thrusting them into a horrific nightmare.
