I have gone on record time and time again about how Speak No Evil managed to haunt me in a more disturbing and profoundly upsetting way than any of the best horror movies from 2022. Well, it looks like there is still much to speak about as an upcoming Blumhouse movie serving as an American update of this Danish thriller is on its way.
Being an international import, this recent freaky flick may have flown under the radar for some people who may now be curious about this “evil” going unspoken. While it would be ill-advised to give away too many details in fear of spoiling the new Speak No Evil, I will happily provide answers about who is behind the upcoming horror movie, when it's coming out, and more.
What Is The Speak No Evil Release Date?
Speak No Evil is set to release in theaters on Friday, September 13, 2024, and is one of many intriguing horror flicks to look forward to on our upcoming 2024 movie schedule. However, some lucky attendees of San Diego Comic Con 2024 were able to catch a couple of advance screenings as part of a contest held by Blumhouse.
The Trailer Teases A Weekend Retreat From Hell
The first trailer for Speak No Evil made its official debut during the Universal panel at CinemaCon 2024. The footage must have had many attendees of the event in Las Vegas feeling very cautious about who they may befriend during their trip. See what I mean by checking out the clip for yourself below:
To anyone who has ever seen the Danish version of this thriller, much of the teaser likely feels very familiar, as it includes many moments that resemble key scenes from the original very closely. However, that does not take away from its thoroughly unsettling tone. The trailer also suggests that the remake is going in a different direction with the final act and James McAvoy looks more unhinged than ever, which is worth the price of admission alone.
What Speak No Evil Is About
Speak No Evil tells the story of American married couple Ben and Louise Dalton and their young daughter, Agnes, who cross paths with British married couple Patrick and Ciara and a young son, Ant, while on vacation. After accepting an invitation to spend a weekend at their house, Ben and Louise soon find their hosts' methods of hospitality to be very inconsiderate and are discomforted by other questionable behaviors. However, the couple eventually comes to the horrifying discovery that awkward disagreements and misunderstandings are the least of their worries.
As previously established, the Blumhouse release is an American update of a Danish film of the same name, which focuses on a Danish family’s bizarre visit with a Dutch family they met in Tuscany. Directed by Christian Tafdrup, who also wrote the screenplay with his brother, Mads, 2022’s Speak No Evil is considered by many (myself included) to be one of the scariest movies on Shudder for its relatable depiction of passive-aggressive responses to social upheaval and effective slow-burn structure.
James McAvoy And Mackenzie Davis Star In The Speak No Evil Cast
James McAvoy is just one of the biggest names – if not the biggest – from this upcoming thriller. We will start our breakdown of who plays who in the new Speak No Evil cast with him.
James McAvoy (Patrick)
Starring in Speak No Evil as Patrick (or “Paddy”) is James McAvoy, who is already a horror veteran. He played the title role of Victor Frankenstein, took on multiple roles living inside the mind of DID patient Kevin Wendell Crumb in M. Night Shyamalan movies Split and Glass, and played an adult Bill Denbrough in Andy Muschietti’s It Chapter Two in 2019. The Scottish X-Men star is also known for his Golden Globe-nominated role in 2007’s Atonement, action movies like Wanted and Atomic Blonde, and his more recent performance as Pontius Pilate in The Book of Clarence.
Mackenzie Davis (Louise Dalton)
As American wife and mother, Louise Dalton, we have Mackenzie Davis, who is also no stranger to horror – having played a vampire in the 2015 horror-comedy movie Freaks of Nature and led 2020’s The Turning, to name a couple. She is also in one of the best episodes of Black Mirror (let alone most positive), "San Junipero," has played two artificial humans (in Blade Runner 2049 and Terminator: Dark Fate), and led Max’s post-apocalyptic limited series, Station Eleven. Some of her lighter credits include Jason Reitman’s Tully and Hulu’s Happiest Season cast as Harper.
Scoot McNairy (Ben Dalton)
Louise’s husband, Ben, is played by Mackenzie Davis’ Halt and Catch Fire co-star, Scoot McNairy, whose own eclectic career also includes horror flicks – namely modern alien invasion movie classics, 2010’s Monsters and A Quiet Place Part II from 2018. He also has two Best Picture Oscar winners under his belt (12 Years a Slave and Argo), had a small, but pivotal, role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and also played a character on How I Met Your Mother you may have forgotten (a cashier at the fast food restaurant Marshall and Lily visit after their wedding).
Aisling Franciosi (Ciara)
Playing Patrick’s wife, Ciara, is Aisling Franciosi, who will have starred in her third horror movie in a row when Speak No Evil comes out, following 2023’s The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Stopmotion. Before then, the Irish-Italian actor’s best-known credits were Jennifer Kent’s brutal revenge movie, 2018’s The Nightingale, and two episodes of Game of Thrones as Lyanna Stark.
Alix West Lefler (Agnes Dalton)
Ben and Louise’s daughter, Agnes, is played by Alix West Lefler, whose previous major movie releases include Netflix’s The Good Nurse and 2023’s The King Tide. She has been seen on the small screen in series like Riverdale, SyFy’s Resident Alien, and CBS’s Fire Country, to name a few.
Dan Hough (Ant)
Starring as Patrick and Ciara’s son, Ant, is Dan Hough. Speak No Evil will mark the young man’s acting debut.
Speak No Evil Is Rated R
In December 2023, with the thriller still months away, the MPA announced its official rating. According to FilmRatings, Speak No Evil is rated R for some strong violence, language, some sexual content and brief drug use.
James Watkins Writes And Directs
Penning the screenplay for this reinterpretation of Speak No Evil is James Watkins, who is also helming the project, according to Deadline. The English filmmaker previously wrote thrillers like 2002’s My Little Eye and Gone from 2006 before making his directorial debut in 2008 with the unsettling drama Eden Lake. He followed that up by directing Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe in 2012’s The Woman in Black – which, technically, also counts as a remake of a 1989 TV movie based on Susan Hill’s novel – and he went on to helm one of the most intense Black Mirror episodes: “Shut Up and Dance.”
Universal Pictures is distributing the film that will also mark a reunion for McAvoy and Jason Blum, who produced Split and Glass and is producing Speak No Evil for Blumhouse. The production company behind many freaky modern favorites has previously remade thrillers like the underrated slasher The Town That Dreaded Sundown, the harrowing French Extremist drama Martyrs, and the holiday horror movie classic, Black Christmas. Those serving as an executive producer on the film include Paul Ritchie, Jacob Jarek, Bea Sequeira, and the story’s original creator, Christian Tafdrup.
I personally regard the original Speak No Evil as an Oscar-worthy horror film worth recommending to anyone with a Shudder subscription (as long as they brace themselves for the brutal climax). I am curious to see how the story will be handled under Watkins’ guidance and how McAvoy and company will portray the characters. Of course, until the remake finally hits theaters, I’ll be sure to hold my tongue.
