Summary
This article contains spoilers for Speak No Evil (2022).
James McAvoy will star in a horror movie remake ofSpeak No Evil, which will be toned down compared to the original. Directed by Christian Tafdrup, the original isa Danish horror that follows a Danish couple, Bjorn and Louise, who befriend a Dutch couple, Karin and Patrick, on vacation and get invited to their house,only to find themselves trapped in a house of horrors. The 2024 remake follows a similar story: an American family befriending a rich British family who invites them to their country house, discovering the couple has sinister intentions towards them and their daughter.
According to James McAvoy, the 2024 version ofSpeak No Evilwill be “less explicit” than the original Danish movie. Director James Watkins has confirmed this in an interview withTotal Film, saying the film will focus more on the psychological elements of horror rather than"straight horror.“After the trailer was released, some people were disappointed because it spoiled some major plot points, like how twisted the British family is and what’s wrong with their son, and with the2024 film being labeled as a direct remake, toning down the film makes even less sense.
Speak No Evil Trailer: James McAvoy Terrorizes Family Friends In Danish Horror Remake
CinemaCon offers a closer look at the upcoming Blumhouse horror movie Speak No Evil, which is a remake of the Danish movie of the same name.
James McAvoy’s Speak No Evil Remake Sounds Like It’s Toning Down The Original
The Remake Is Getting Rid Of The Movie’s Scare Factor, According To McAvoy.
With Watkins and McAvoy confirming that the movie’s horror is lessened, the impact on Speak No Evil’s quality and ending is a huge subject of speculation. Reducing horror might make it less scary, but that’s fine because Tardrup’s film wasn’t about the gore. Thetrailer also spoils key elements of the film, teasing character arcs and plot twists, which would have been better left for the full release, thus calling the necessity of the remake into question.
If the production company Blumhouse wanted to create something new, they could’ve easily made another psychological horror film unrelated toSpeak No Evil.New horror movies are thriving, with films likeLonglegs and A Quiet Place: Day Oneproving to be successful releases. Exploring psychological horror is intriguing, especially sinceSpeak No Evil’s endingshows how sinister Patrick and Karin were all along, but this can be done in many ways without calling the film a remake or spoiling the scariest parts in the trailer.
Speak No Evil Already Felt Like An Odd Remake
Speak No Evil was only released in 2022, and it feels too soon for a remake.
The 2024Speak No Evilfilm feels like an odd remake, given that the Danish version only came out in 2022. For that reason, there’s a sense that it may be too soon to revisit it, considering that the original is still fresh in the minds of audiences. The Danish film’s secluded Scandinavian setting added an eerie sense of isolation and helplessness, crucial for the horror’s plot and psychological exploration. In contrast, theEnglish countryside where the 2024 film is set, is known for its charm in movies likeThe Holidayand lacks the same chilling, isolated atmospherethat made the original so disturbing.
TheSpeak No EvilDanish commercial release was on August 22, 2025, and the American remake will be released on August 08, 2025, two years and six months after the original.
Speak No Evilis terrifying from start to finish, andJames McAvoy’s upcoming reboot faces an impossible ending problem. The original ends with the brutal deaths of Bjorn and Louise, a scene that is too explicit for mainstream Hollywood. This raises concerns about how the remake will be received, aschanges to the horror, ending, and setting make it seem like a completely different movie, questioning the studio’s decision to label it a remake instead of an original film.
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.
