“Speak No Evil” review: Terrifying James McAvoy boosts family-thriller

Married couple Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise Dalton (Mackenzie Davis) were going through a rough patch in their personal lives when they received an invitation from a new friend (James McAvoy) to join him in a family retreat in a country house. To escape from city noise, the two and their daughter (Alix West Lefler) agreed to go. Little do they know that this family holiday will not be something they’re promised to.

James Watkins’ “Speak No Evil”, the American remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name, takes up a good hour to set up the dynamics of its families. This is a straight-up slasher as the film’s marketing endorses it, but only up until the first hour. There is a good chunk of the film’s first half where the tension is only confined to Ben and Louise’s relationship, with their daughter forced to be part of this rocky bubble. 

You can make the case that the film marinades its slow-burn family hijinks long enough to abruptly show a horror surprise, but I feel it works well in this regard.

“Speak No Evil” is anchored on a superb performance by James McAvoy as the terrifying friend. At this point, it’s unfortunate how a lot of audiences will take him for granted because of the genre that he mostly chooses. He delivered the kind of performance where his presence is felt all the way through, even in sequences where he isn’t in it. Think of his role in M. Night Shyamalan's "Split" with ten times more rage.

But I think this film's biggest surprise is its two young actors: Alix West Lefler and Dan Hough (playing the son of McAvoy’s character). The two never attempted to steal any thunder from their co-stars, but they naturally leaped out as the best part of the film.

The overall narrative and shocking turns of “Speak No Evil” might be too familiar if you’ve been heavily consuming a lot of films in this genre. Still, this is a worthwhile time at the movies that goes to interesting lengths and yet goes for an expected route.

"Speak No Evil" is now showing in cinemas. 

Featured images courtesy of Universal Pictures.