While of course other studios makehorrorfilms,A24 and Blumhouse are two of the biggest playersin the scary movie game. Recently, Blumhouse has releasedthe creepy bear movieImaginaryandAfraid, which is about a so-called smart house. Audiences looking for stories about mysterious creatures, evil stalkers, and supernatural villains know that if they check out a Blumhouse movie, they’re going to be entertained.One of Blumhouse’s latest releases isSpeak No Evil, which is in theaters on September 13th, 2024.
InSpeak No Evil,married couple Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scott McNairy) go on vacation with their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) and find their lives turned upside down when they meet Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi).But is this a remake or an original horror movie?
Is Blumhouse’s Speak No Evil A Remake?
Speak No Evilis a remake of the Danish horror movie by the same name which was released in 2022.Both movies are about a family who meets another couple while on vacation and is terrified to learn that they’re murderers. It can be fun to watchan eerie story set during the summertimeor when characters are on a trip that ends up more dangerous than they could have thought. While some wonderif Spawn still feels relevant today, a story about creepy strangers is a classic, and it makes sense that Blumhouse would make a new version ofSpeak No Evil.
TheSpeak No Evilending is different in the remake than the original, and while some fans of the original might say that shouldn’t have happened, it does feel like the right conclusion for this version of the story. James Watkins, the director, spoke toTime Magazineabout this. He said:
“What I’ve taken from [Tafdrup’s] film is the satire, the exploration of the social rules, and how we react. you’re able to give people an incredibly tense roller coaster ride that has thematic nourishment and things to take away and talk about in the pub, but it can be fun.”
Watkins also gave an interview toFangoriaand addressed the fact that his movie is a remake. He said that when the opportunity came up to direct remakes before, he didn’t want to, butSpeak No Evilwas a compelling idea. He said:
“I loved the original and what Christian [Tafdrup] did — the bleakness of it, the theme of it, and the character. I loved everything about it, actually. But I also saw a way to reimagine it or make it slightly different in my own way. There’s no point in me engaging with something if I can’t do that. If it’s just a carbon copy, people should just watch Christian’s movie, and they still can. In a way, I think the two films can now have a conversation with each other.”
Horror fans should definitely check out both the Danish original and the Blumhoues remake since the story stands out in a sea ofhaunted house horror movies. While many are genuinely unnerving, some films feature too many cliches and wrong notes.Speak No Evil, on the other hand, dives intothe dynamics between the characters and the mysterious new couple Ben and Louise have met. This is a great premise and draws people in, and as director James Watkins said, there’s no reason why people can’t enjoy watching both movies.
Do Critics Like Blumhouse’s Speak No Evil?
WhileSpeak No Evilhas a fairly high Rotten Tomatoes rating of 84%, it has a much lower 55% rating on the Popcornmeter. According to the critic reviews that are spotlighted onRotten Tomatoes, some thought it was lackluster and others enjoyed it. That can happen often with horror movies since people have different expectations for this kind of story. Despite some poor reviews, though,Speak No Evil’s Rotten Tomatoes rating is higher than a lot of other scary movies, includinga remake with a 0% score.
While some people are open-minded about remakes and willing to see whether a new twist can be found, others feel thatmany horror remakes are awfulbecause they lose what was special about the first story. Both points are valid because there have been more than a few reminders of remakes not living up to their full and terrifying potential.
Some critics feel that theSpeak No Eviloriginal is better than the remake.ABC Newscalled the original “superior.” However, horror fans will likely see more remakes from Blumhouse in the future.The company is working on a newBlair Witch Projectand Mike Flanagan will direct a reboot. It will be interesting to see how these remakes pan out.
