This review contains spoilers.

Opening with an idyllic Italian countryside, “Speak No Evil” director James Watkins introduces the Daltons, a small family that has relocated to London from America. Ben, played by Scoot McNairy; Louise, played by Mackenzie Davis; and their daughter Agnes Dalton, played by Alix West Lefler, are enjoying their Italian vacation at a hotel pool.

Paddy, played by James McAvoy and Ciara, played by Aisling Franciosi, are another couple staying at the same hotel who ask to borrow a pool chair. Paddy’s son, Ant, played by Dan Hough, becomes fast friends with Agnes, even though he is unable to speak because he was born without a tongue.

Once back in London, the Daltons receive a postcard from Paddy and Ciara inviting them to spend a weekend at their house in the country. Thinking it might be a nice change of scenery, the Daltons decide to visit.

Initially welcomed warmly into the home, things quickly become uncomfortable for the Daltons due to the strange and passive-aggressive behavior of their hosts. Louise’s vegetarianism is challenged, while Agnes is taken into a drunken Paddy and Ciara’s bed. Terrified of their hosts’ behavior, the Daltons attempt to leave during the night only to have to turn around because Agnes forgot her stuffed rabbit.

This film is a remake of the original Danish “Speak No Evil,” directed by Christian Tafdrup, which became a cult horror classic when it was released in 2022. Up to this point, both versions of the films have been almost identical.

The gnarly nature of the midway twist shocked audiences in the original, but director James Watkins took a different approach for the 2024 release. Only after the family’s initial attempt to leave does the storyline in the American version begin to diverge.

In the new iteration, Ant continually tries to warn Agnes about his parents. Eventually, he leads Agnes into a locked cellar, showing her dozens of suitcases from past families, along with a scrapbook of postcards. Each card shows two smiling families on vacation, but Paddy and Ciara pose with a different child each time. Agnes comes to realize what Ant is telling her — Paddy and Ciara are serial killers, stealing the children of their latest victims to help lure the next.

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Faking her period, Agnes pulls her parents away to tell them of her discovery. As the Daltons attempt to drive away, they see Paddy throw Ant into a pond. Ben abandons the family’s escape plan and jumps into the pond to save him, leading to their whole family being captured. Paddy attempts to cut out Agnes’s tongue, but Louise slashes him with a concealed box cutter, allowing her family to escape.

They run inside the house to use the landline, leading to a tense game of cat-and-mouse with Paddy and Ciara. Eventually, the Daltons and Ant escape, having killed Paddy and Ciara.

However, in the Danish version, Ben’s character — in this film named Bjorn — is the one who finds the old suitcases and deduces the truth but fails to mention anything to his family. After causing their car to break down, Paddy hunts the family down. He drowns Ant, cuts out Agnes’s tongue, and stones Bjorn and Louise to death.

While some may say that the ending to this remake was a cop-out, the new ending is even more heartbreaking. The final image of Ant quietly sobbing in the back of the Daltons’ car is haunting. His parents have been murdered, his tongue cut out, and he’s been abused by Paddy for the better part of a year.

Additionally, the original ending is too harsh, with the viewer feeling that the film was pointless if the murderers continue their wretched schemes. There’s no closure for the main characters, and the thought of Agnes having to become their new mute child is revolting. Louise and Bjorn almost sit back and accept their fate, all while their child is having her tongue cut out.

Each performance in the remake tops the original version, with McAvoy leading the pack. McAvoy’s performance truly makes the film — his psychotic mannerisms are nothing short of perfection. His smile doesn’t fully reach his eyes, and you can feel a chill whenever he’s on screen. Davis and McNairy capture the fear and adrenaline of their situation perfectly.

All in all, the remake of “Speak No Evil” further explored the characters introduced in the original version and creates an alternate ending that effectively scares the audience without scarring them completely.