The Speak No Evil Remake’s Ending Is a Cowardly Cop-out

As a horror enthusiast who has seen more than a few remakes that failed to live up to their originals, I must say I find myself deeply disappointed by Blumhouse’s take on “Speak No Evil.” Having grown up with the original, I can appreciate its raw brutality and social commentary. The new version, however, feels like a watered-down imitation that lacks both the punch and the substance of its predecessor.

Spoilers ahead for the plot and ending of Speak No Evil, both the 2022 film and the 2024 remake.

While uplifting conclusions might leave moviegoers exiting with smiles on their faces, it’s the melancholic endings that tend to leave a deeper imprint. A truly grim finale can evoke anger and sadness, yet at its finest, it also reshapes our understanding of everything that preceded it, amplifying the dramatic tension and foreboding.

Among some of the grim conclusions, “Speak No Evil” (2022) from Denmark stands out with its harrowing depiction into the abyss that transforms a darkly humorous social critique into an endurance trial. The brutal finale of the film might have been too harsh for mainstream American tastes, so it’s not surprising that the 2024 Blumhouse remake took a different path. However, in attempting to dodge the bleakness of the original ending, the new “Speak No Evil” misses out on an essential aspect: its message.

People who have watched the remake or even just seen the constant trailers will be familiar with the storyline of the 2022 Danish film, Christian Tafdrup’s “Speak No Evil.” The movie, titled “Speak No Evil,” opens with a Danish family, Bjørn (played by Morten Burian), Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch), and their daughter Agnes (Liva Forsberg), forming friendships with Dutch family Patrick (Fedja van Huêt), Karin (Karina Smulders), and son Abel (Marius Damslev) during a vacation in Tuscany. After some time, Patrick and Karin extend invitations to their new friends for a weekend visit to their secluded countryside home in the Netherlands. With only slight hesitation, Bjørn, Louise, and Agnes agree to this trip.

Initially, Patrick and Karin come across as cordial and amiable, but it’s not long before it’s apparent that there’s an undercurrent of unease. Abel, their son, is mute due to a birth defect, according to Patrick, yet the bond between father and son seems tense at best. The Dutch pair subject the Danish visitors to a growing series of uncomfortable situations: urging vegetarian Louise to consume meat, saddling them with an expensive restaurant tab, publicly criticizing Agnes in front of her mother. For the most part, Bjørn remains too polite to protest, attributing any discomfort to cultural discrepancies, even as Louise grows more and more alarmed.

As Bjørn uncovers the horrifying truth about Patrick and Karin – who are cold-blooded killers taking parents’ lives and abducting their children – it’s already too late for Abel and Agnes is their current target. Trying to shield his family from the grim reality, Bjørn attempts to lead them to safety without disclosing the imminent threat. However, they are caught by a Dutch couple, and in a chilling act of cruelty, Karin cuts out Agnes’ tongue with a pair of scissors – the reason Abel couldn’t speak. The family is then taken to a quarry where Bjørn and his wife Louise are brutally murdered by Patrick and Karin, leaving Agnes in the hands of their Dutch captors. The movie concludes as this new family arrives to meet their next set of victims, with Agnes now part of them.

Speak No Evil, on the contrary, is far from cheerful. However, its grim final act isn’t just about despair or nihilism. When Bjørn queries Patrick about his actions, Patrick responds, “Because you allowed me.” Tafdrup’s film primarily explores how we tolerate mistreatment, often due to a sense of duty or to maintain peace. Throughout the movie, Patrick is probing his victims: do they prioritize their safety over being perceived as rude? Bjørn’s inaction, driven by his desire to be a gracious and courteous guest, enables his host to commit unimaginable acts.

Speak No Evil by Blumhouse adopts a unique twist on its narrative. The scenario remains consistent: It introduces us to Ben (Scoot McNairy), Louise (Mackenzie Davis), and Agnes (Alix West Lefler), along with the British family Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and Ant (Dan Hough). Their initial encounters on a Tuscan holiday appear to be a near-exact replica, even echoing identical dialogues. Although there are slight alterations when they arrive at the secluded farmhouse belonging to Paddy and Ciara, the sequence of events is remarkably similar. Typically, a film that closely mirrors a recent foreign production aims to cater to American audiences who prefer watching movies without subtitles; however, Speak No Evil’s original version uses mostly English, making this American adaptation seem even more redundant.

However, in the third act, the remake diverges more daringly from the source material. In director James Watkins’s film, it’s Agnes who uncovers Paddy and Ciara’s scheme, following an assertive Ant who presents her with incriminating photos of past victims and acts out being his tongue cut out (one might wonder why Abel didn’t think of this). She informs her parents about the plot, who react surprisingly calmly. It appears as though the family may escape — until they are compelled to return due to Ant drowning, putting them back in danger.

You can rest assured that there are no scenes of onscreen tongue removal or stoning in the movie “Speak No Evil”. At a farmhouse, an American family resorts to using whatever they can find – box cutters, carving knives, sulfuric acid – in self-defense. It’s somewhat reminiscent of “Home Alone”, though perhaps with more intense violence.

In essence, if the impactful conclusion is removed, one might question the purpose of the film. At its core, this movie explores how societal etiquette can sometimes lead us astray or even suppress our crucial survival instincts in extreme situations. Paddy comments, “We’re all too fucking polite.” He consistently urges his guests to be more truthful, pushing them to reveal their genuine feelings, even if it may offend others. Eventually, Louise understands the message. Upon seeing the photographs of Paddy and Ciara’s past victims, Louise declares, “This isn’t normal, and we don’t have to act like it is.

As a movie enthusiast, I must admit that while the symbolic undertones of the film are commendable, they seem to deviate from what’s visually portrayed on screen. For instance, when Ben inquires about Paddy’s actions and he responds with “Because you let us,” it might lead one to infer that Louise is concealing a hidden weapon – as we see her doing exactly that moments later by slashing open his face. However, it appears the family isn’t passively allowing anything; instead, they are actively resisting!

In the original “Speak No Evil”, the passiveness of the characters was key, as exemplified by Bjørn’s silent tears in the car on their way to the quarry, suggesting acceptance of his fate. Contrastingly, in the remake, the American family exhibits a fighting spirit and there’s little doubt about their survival. The modified ending, where Paddy plans to sedate Agnes before removing her tongue, weakens the social commentary that was so powerful in the original. “Speak No Evil” relies on its shocking twist for impact, and without it, the message falls flat.

In addition, the latest film seems overburdened with concepts, making its impacts less impactful. Unlike the original, grim portrayal that contented itself with depicting Patrick and Karin as psychopaths, this updated version delves deeper into their motivations for committing crimes. While it’s true that Paddy is engaging in these acts because they allow him to, there are additional reasons: he aims to swindle them of all their money, making a living this way, and he had a difficult upbringing. Given the contemporary horror genre, it’s not surprising that there’s trauma involved! Furthermore, Paddy embodies toxic masculinity, which explains James McAvoy’s choice to base his performance on Andrew Tate.

The new portrayal of Patrick’s character seems aimed at making him more intricate, yet it only confuses the narrative even more. A significant portion of this added complexity feels unnecessary and unresolved. While there might be some merit in depicting a men’s rights activist pushing a submissive father to break free from societal norms for his family’s sake, the idea never fully develops beyond a fleeting notion. The movie Speak No Evil, produced by Blumhouse, struggles under the weight of its own restraint. It presents thought-provoking themes and darkness to viewers, but it fails to deliver the intense trauma that the original film did. The ending, which is overly optimistic, highlights the main flaw in this remake – a lack of commitment to fully explore the concept.

2024-09-14 02:54

The Speak No Evil Remake’s Ending Is a Cowardly Cop-out

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