| Speak No Evil | |
|---|---|
_Theatrical_Poster.jpeg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James Watkins |
| Screenplay by | James Watkins[1] |
| Based on | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Tim Maurice-Jones |
| Edited by | Jon Harris |
| Music by |
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Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 110 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million[3] |
| Box office | $77.2 million[4][5] |
Speak No Evil is a 2024 Americanpsychological horrorthriller film written and directed byJames Watkins. A remake of the2022 Danish-Dutch film of the same name, the film starsJames McAvoy,Mackenzie Davis,Aisling Franciosi,Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, andScoot McNairy. Its plot follows an American family who are invited to stay at a remote farmhouse of a British couple for the weekend: the hosts soon test the limits of their guests as the situation escalates.Jason Blum serves as a producer through hisBlumhouse Productions banner.
Speak No Evil premiered at theDGA Theater inNew York City on September 9, 2024, and was released in the United States byUniversal Pictures on September 13. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $77 million worldwide with a budget of $15 million.
While vacationing inItaly, American couple Louise and Ben Dalton and their preteen daughter Agnes meet and befriend free-spirited British couple Paddy and Ciara and their son Ant. Once home, Louise and Ben are at odds over his unemployment and her infidelity. A letter from Paddy and Ciara arrives, inviting the Daltons to their remote farmhouse inDevon. The family decides to go, hoping the change of scenery will be good for them and for Agnes, who hasanxiety and isattached to a stuffed rabbit named Hoppy.
Arriving at the farmhouse, Louise, Ben, and Agnes are warmly welcomed, but as they spend more time at the house, they begin to grow unnerved by strange incidents andpassive-aggressive behavior from their hosts that cross boundaries. Louise is also troubled by Paddy and Ciara's aggressive treatment of Ant, who they learn was born with a genetic condition that manifested as asmaller tongue andaphasia, leaving him unable to communicate with his family. One evening, the adults go out for dinner, leaving Agnes and Ant in the care of a babysitter named Muhjid, which unnerves the Daltons. While playinghide and seek with Muhjid, Ant shows Agnes a collection of watches Paddy has and a message written inDanish; Agnes is unable to understand him. At dinner, Paddy challenges Louise'svegetarianism and jokingly simulates a sex act with Ciara, shocking their guests. Upon returning, Louise later discovers Agnes has been moved to share a bed with a drunken Paddy and Ciara. Horrified, Louise flees with her family but are forced to return by Agnes, who left Hoppy behind.
Upon retrieving Hoppy, Paddy and Ciara apologize for their behavior, and subtly accuse the Daltons of judging them. The Daltons decide to stay to keep the peace, but the strange, unsettling behavior continues. After an incident where Paddy throws a chunk of cheese at Ant, Ant steals a set of keys and leads Agnes to a locked shed. Inside is a collection of luggage and personal possessions belonging to various families. Using a photo album, Ant reveals to Agnes that Paddy and Ciara areserial killers who lure families to their farmhouse, rob and kill them, then cut out the tongues of their children, using them to assist in luring their next victims. Ant shows Agnes that this has happened to him and his loving family, and that Paddy and Ciara intend to make the Daltons their next victims. Agnes fakeshaving her first period and manages to get Louise and Ben alone to explain the situation. At their wit's end, the family decides to leave, calmly so as not to arouse suspicion and contact the police to save Ant.
Paddy and Ciara, realizing that their plan has been figured out, sabotage the Daltons's car and hide Agnes's bunny to delay their departure, subtly mocking them as they do so. When the Daltons finally drive off, Paddy throws Ant, who cannot swim, into a pond. Ben rescues Ant before a gun-wielding Paddy and Ciara capture them, and force them to transfer their savings before preparing to kill them and cut out Agnes's tongue. However, the Daltons immediately fight back, with Louise attacking and injuring Paddy, allowing the Daltons and Ant to flee into the house, while a stunned and enraged Paddy, Ciara, and their accomplice from the diner, Mike, hunt for them. In the ensuing chase and struggle, Louise kills Mike and saves Ben before the family flees to the roof, while Ciara attempts to attack them but ultimately falls to her death.
As the family attempts to escape, Paddy emerges, holding Agnes at gunpoint. As Paddy declares his intention to replace Ciara with Agnes as his companion, Agnes manages to inject Paddy with a syringe ofketamine, incapacitating him. As the family departs, Ant approaches a now-powerless Paddy, and after Paddy acknowledges his fate by saying to Ant, "That's my boy", an enraged Ant bludgeons him to death with a brick, letting out all his pain and anger towards him. The family and Ant leave the farmhouse; on the drive, Agnes gives her stuffed bunny to Ant, who sobs quietly.
James Watkins wrote and directed the film forBlumhouse Productions. It is a remake of the2022 Danish film of the same name.[9] In April 2023,James McAvoy andMackenzie Davis were reported to be in the cast.[6] The following month,Scoot McNairy joined the cast.[10]
Principal photography took place in Croatiansettlements ofGrožnjan,Motovun andKaldir,[11] and inGloucester, England, in May and was expected to end in July,[12] before filming was suspended five days before it was to wrap up due to the2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[13] In mid-November, production resumed in the United Kingdom, filming atSaxon's Lode Manor House nearMalvern Hills,Worcestershire. The manor's architecture provided the desired English backdrop for the movie's tense scenes.[14][15]
Speak No Evil premiered at theDGA Theater inNew York City on September 9, 2024,[16] and was released in theaters byUniversal Pictures on September 13, 2024.[17][18]
Speak No Evil grossed $36.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $40.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $77.2 million.[5][4]Deadline Hollywood calculated the film made a net profit of $50 million.[19]
In the United States and Canada,Speak No Evil was released alongsideThe Killer's Game andAm I Racist?, and was projected to gross $10–13 million from 3,375 theaters in its opening weekend.[20] The film made $4.9 million on its first day, including $1.3 million from Thursday night previews.[21] It went on to debut to $11.5 million, finishing second behind holdoverBeetlejuice Beetlejuice.[22] In its second weekend the film made $5.9 million (a drop of 48%), finishing in third.[23]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 82% of 211 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Harnessing sick suspense from the glimmer in James McAvoy's eye,Speak No Evil is the remake that hushes up concerns of 'been there, done that.'"[24]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[25] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of B+ on an A+ to F scale.[22]
Dan Hough was nominated for the "Young British/Irish Performer of the Year" at the 45th annualLondon Film Critics Circle Awards 2024[26][27][28]
Dan Hough, nominee for Young British/Irish Performer of the Year for Speak No Evil at the 45th annual London Critics' Circle Film Awards.