Looking back at Speak No Evil and what to expect from the remake

If you're a horror fan chances are you've seen Speak No Evil, or at the very least have heard of it. The Danish film is a Shudder original and was released back in September 2022. The movie quickly gained popularity on Reddit for being quite disturbing. Speak No Evil was given positive reviews, but the consensus is always the same, it's dark, uncomfortable, and shocking.

The movie is considered Danish but English is used throughout a good chunk of it. Speak No Evil is about two families who meet in Tuscany on vacation. The families get a long extremely well and spend the rest of it getting to know one another. Bjørn and Louise are a Danish couple who have a daughter named Agnes. They receive an invite from the Dutch family they met, inviting them to stay for a weekend. Louise is reluctant and finds it a little odd to be staying with strangers, her husband convinces her it will be good for them. The Dutch family consists of Patrick, Karin, and their son Abel who suffers from a disease called congenital aglossia, being born without a tongue. As the weekend continues on Louise is growing more and more uncomfortable, finding issues with Patrick and Karin's passive aggressive behavior, as well as their treatment to Abel. The couple tries to leave on multiple occasions but find reasons to say because they don't want to be rude. On their final day Bjørn stumbles upon some disturbing images and quickly realizes the reason they were invited to stay. He tries to gather his family to take them home in the middle of the night but it is far too late.

This phycological thriller has you gripping your seat trying to unravel the mystery quicker than Bjørn and Louise. The movie has a unique soundtrack only consisting of a dark theme that never seems to match what is being shown on screen. The soundtrack is a constant reminder that this is not a film about two couples who found friendship with one another but something far more sinister despite the beautiful scenic shots that distract us for one moment. The movie is set at a slow pace but manages to keep the attention by feeding just enough crumbs to lead us to the big finale.

The moral of this film is to trust your gut. Yes, it's nice to meet people on vacation and get to know them, but you never know what is lurking beneath the surface. Louise never wanted to stay that weekend because she knew them for what they were, strangers. The movie is directed by Christian Tafdrup who went on vacation and was invited to stay a weekend with another couple, he wrote the movie as a "what if?" He considered the darkest scenarios and what could possibly happen if you are too polite to say no.

Not too long ago an American remake was announced back in 2023. Now this upset a few people and had them question why they would bother remaking it? The majority of Speak No Evil is actually in English, so the American remake seems a bit redundant. There isn't too much news about the remake set to release August 9, 2024. However, what we do know is that the movie is to be produced by Blumhouse with director James Watkins who also directed The Woman in Black. We also know very little about the cast apart from James McAvoy who is suspected to play Bjørn and Mackenzie Davis to play Louise.

The American remake is set to follow the same disturbing story, a warning of stranger danger and a critique of humanity. But like all remakes, I'm confident there will be different aspects that depart from the original. Do you think Speak No Evil needs a remake? Or should we leave foreign films as is?