In ‘Speak No Evil’, the scariest thing is not leaving | The Haunted Column

The American ‘Speak No Evil’ is the kind of film that keeps poking you long after it should have stopped being uncomfortable. Not because it is shocking every minute, but because it keeps asking the same annoying question in different ways: why are you still here?

The setup is simple enough. An American family befriends another couple while on vacation. They exchange numbers, laughs, and eventually an invitation. A weekend visit sounds harmless. That is how most bad decisions begin in real life, and the film leans heavily into that familiarity. Nothing feels dramatic at first. It just feels slightly off. And then slightly worse. And then unbearable.

What works about this version is that it does not rush its discomfort. Scenes stretch longer than they should. Conversations linger after they stop being pleasant. There are moments where you expect the film to cut away, but it doesn’t. It forces you to sit with the awkwardness, much like the characters do. You keep waiting for a clear turning point, but the film refuses to give you one. Instead, it piles up small humiliations and violations until leaving feels impossible, even though staying feels insane.

James McAvoy is clearly having a great time here, and thankfully, he does not play Paddy like a cartoon villain. He is loud, charming, and exhausting in the way some people are in real life. The danger in his performance lies in how readable he is. You know this man. You have met him at parties. You have laughed at his jokes while quietly wishing he would stop talking. McAvoy understands that menace works best when it is wrapped in charisma.

The film also benefits from not turning its American family into complete fools. They are not oblivious. They notice things. They discuss leaving. They just keep postponing it. That hesitation is where the film finds its nerve. Not fear, exactly, but irritation. You want to shake these people, but you also understand them. That recognition is uncomfortable in a way most horror films do not aim for.

Where this remake clearly departs from the original is in its final act. The Danish film chose cruelty as its closing note. This one opts for confrontation. Some will see that as a softening, but it feels more like a shift in emphasis. This version seems less interested in saying “this is what you deserve” and more focused on what it costs to finally say no. It is not triumphant. It is messy, loud, and desperate. That feels appropriate.

‘Speak No Evil’ is not a film about strangers being dangerous. It is about how much nonsense we tolerate from people we are trying to be nice to. It understands that horror does not always arrive with warning signs. Sometimes it shows up as a weekend plan you should have cancelled earlier.

You do not leave the film scared of villains. You leave it annoyed at yourself. And that, quietly, is what makes it work.