I’m still at TIFF (leaving tomorrow morning) and so I missed the press screening from back home of “Speak No Evil” which is getting decent reviews (63 on MC and 88% RT).
“Speak No Evil,” budgeted at a measly $15M, is a horror film, which means genre fans will be flocking to theaters this weekend to catch it. The latest projections have it opening in the $10M-$12M range.
Christian Tafdrup’s original 2022 film, a Danish production, wasn’t even out for a year when Blumhouse snatched up the U.S. rights and quickly set up a remake for it. If you haven’t seen Tafdrup’s original, it’s certainly one of the most disturbing horror films in recent years. I have no desire to revisit it, which also makes me think twice about catching the U.S. version, especially if it’s as pitch-black nasty as the original.
Regardless, James Watkins is helming the remake, and a trailer is available for your viewing pleasure. It looks like the exact same film as Tafdrup’s, only more sanitized and without Danish people. I’m intrigued as to whether they have kept the ending of the original, which was as morose as it gets.
“Speak No Evil” stars Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis as an American couple, who, along with their 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler), accept the weekend-holiday invitation of Paddy (James McAvoy), his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and their mute son Ant (Dan Hough). What begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.
“Speak No Evil” is being released theatrically on September 12 via Universal and Blumhouse.