Speak No Evil

I just watched the new version of Speak No Evil and in typical fashion the Americanized version just had to change the ending that made the original absolutely incredible to watch as a horrorholic.

I didn't hate the 2024 version but it didn't have nearly the tension of the first. It didn't make you as angry as the first. It didn't make you wanna strangle all the actors like the first. And it didn't make you feel anything for the characters like the first.

As much as you can hate stupid naivety or pure evil in characters you still felt something for all of them in the first. The first 10/10 the second 6/10. And that's generous because it wasn't as awful as it could have been but really watch the original if you really want a good movie experience that will leave you reeling instead of oh well that happened.

No I'm not talking about McAvoy, but we'll get to that.

First act: The setup is masterful. Nothing big happens this entire act, yet I found myself smiling and intrigued. It's a perfect example of how you can still create intrigue without needing action, or even worse, without having an opening scene that spoils what happens later in the movie.

Second act: Okay, now the lack of anything big happening is becoming a detriment. We should be seeing some escalation, but it just feels like a lot more setup.

Third act: Escalation finally arrives, but not enough. The potential doesn't reach the heights to make it memorable. And there are a couple of idiotic character decision. One almost made me facepalm in the theater.

As for the husband played by Scoot McNairy, I'm not sure if I've ever seen a lamer husband in my life. I know it was intentional and it didn't hurt my enjoyment, but all I kept thinking is, "Man up, you little...."

Overall, this was a mildly enjoyable, single-viewing type of movie. The reason I feel disappointed is because it could have been awesome if they "went for it" more. But McAvoy is a beast.

(1 viewing, opening night 9/12/2024)

Topic says it all. I really was curious how Hollywood would adapt the original, as it was one of the best real-horror flicks i have seen in years and one with a message. I still rate this remake with 6 stars, because everything was good: especially the actors, the screenplay etc., but the end is awfully bad compared to the original. If the original movie (crew) had the money and the actors from the remake, then it would have been something, you would not forget in years.

Hollywood simply has no balls to do such a movie, instead it created something that is pretty fast forgotten. Moreover it completely misses the message and the feeling you have, after the ending of the original movie. So it is just a cliche ending so typical for Hollywood, it makes me sad.

Definitely worth viewing at the cinema - had such a blast watching this film!

The slow start is never boring as it carefully lets out clues that there's something deeply wrong going on, although you can't yet pinpoint what it is. You, as well as the guests, want to like those characters, even though they seem more and more obnoxious, and you wouldn't dare to be rude.

I was surprised at how much humor there is in this, yet it doesn't undermine the tension, that builds up like fire throughout the film. On the contrary, it makes it all more eerie and unsettling.

Without realising, you've been on the edge of your seat the whole time, just waiting for the inevitable to happen, yet praying that it doesn't. And then, when it's finally all loose, the third act pays off handsomely.

Mcavoy is insanely good in this movie and his range is what fuels the several emotions you go through while watching. The film revolves around him, around his ability to hook both the characters and the viewer, only to scare them out of their minds.

Speak No Evil is a 2024 psychological horror remake starring James Mcavoy as Paddy, a English father who invites a American family to come to their house and relax, however not everything is all it seems from the new Blumhouse feature.

While getting most of the aspects on point from the 2022 foreign film of the same name, Speak No Evil does create a good level of tension while exploding into a violent climax which is a good aspect regarding the film's strong point as a psychological horror flick. The American family are very likable and very realistic when it comes to some of the more tense scenes of threat, you do really sympathise with them in general and throughout most of the runtime you do also get to see some of what there views are on the other English family. At first they think it's a new way of bonding with their new home but as the film progresses there perspectives slowly change and it makes you think if they will ever recover from the horrific things they have witnessed so far which does add a level of clarity and dread to the film's dark tone and that's very good.

Acting-wise, very top notch for a Blumhouse feature nowadays as James Mcavoy really is quite terrifying but funny at the same time. He is very identical. He reminds me of Jack Torrance from The Shining, very maniacal and twisted figure that has his comedic elements scattered throughout, I thought this was quite a interesting thing that I might notice but I think Paddy was a little bit different though just because of his charming aspect rather than a downward spiral of Jack's character's.

Overall, while quite a solid entry into the Blumhouse library, the fatal flaw of this thriller is the lack of homage to the original film which really should be respected, but it seems like this entry does completely avoid some aspects which a remake shouldn't do unless it has a good reason to. But it's still a worthy, fun watch for a evening night.

Grade: A Next film: Big shark.