Blumhouses’ remake of a 2022 psychological horror released on Friday the 13th and is garnering praise for James McAvoy’s stellar performance. The original film, Speak No Evil 2022, is a Danish film which released at Sundance before getting a wider release through Shudder. Both movies follow a similar plot but have wildly different outcomes and audience appeals.

Speak No Evil 2022 is a bleak, dark movie with an unsettling ending and biblical themes strewn throughout. the 2024 remake is much lighter in tone with a happier ending and inevitably wider appeal. Both films are great, but some key differences make both films unique to themselves.

The Plot of Speak No Evil

Both films follow the same general story. A young couple and their daughter meet a charming couple and their son while on vacation in Italy. The son in each film is presented as a mute, explained by the patriarch of the family as having been born with a tongue smaller than most. In both films, the couple with the mute child invites the vacationing family to their home in the countryside for a long weekend. Once they arrive things quickly begin deteriorating into discomfort and then full-on panic.

James McAvoy plays the main villain in the 2024 remake while Fedja van Huet gets villain duty in Speak No Evil 2022. Both actors are phenomenal in their roles but McAvoy elevates his take to another level. The 2024 version of Speak No Evil is much lighter in tone than the original and McAvoy is able to match that energy. Creating a villain that is both charming and menacing all at once.

B-Plots in Speak No Evil 2024

The 2024 remake of Speak No Evil has a slightly longer runtime which allows the filmmakers to add in some key subplots to the overall narrative. In Speak No Evil 2022, the unsuspecting family victims are one-dimensional characters. The father Bjorn, is a little boring and excited to finally meet some friends who have a personality. Louise in the 2022 film is a normal mother with little to no back story while in the 2024 remake, she is a stronger more independent character.

Mackenzie Davis plays Louise in the 2024 remake and it is revealed about halfway through the film that she had a semi-sexual relationship with one of the fathers at their daughter’s school. This added conflict to the central characters is non-existent in the original film and adds another level of subtext to an already jam-packed narrative.

The Twist

In both Speak No Evil films it is revealed after an excruciating uncomfortable weekend that country homeowners with a mute son are much more nefarious than they let on. Patriarch Paddy in 2024 and Patrick in 2022, lure unsuspecting families to their home in the countryside, cut out their child’s tongue, and murder their old child. It’s a shocking revelation that’s revealed very differently in each film.

In the 2024 remake, it’s the daughter Agnes who finds out the family’s dark secret first. The mute child, named Ant in 2024, shows Agnes photos of the dozens of families who have visited the family home. Each with a child that is then muted and turned into the evil family’s surrogate son or daughter. In Speak No Evil 2022 it is the father who learns this truth by randomly stumbling on the same type of photographs.

The Ending

Speak No Evil 2022 has a very different ending than its 2022 remake and one that would be much harder to put in front of mainstream audiences. The James McAvoy led Speak No Evil has been advertised ad nauseam and it is clear Universal Pictures wanted to create a film with broader appeal.

The original film ends with the normal family being caught by the evil one. The parents and audience are forced to watch helplessly while young Agnes has her tongue gruesomely cut from her mouth. The parents are then forced to strip naked and told to walk to the bottom of a ravine. Once they reach the bottom of the hill, the evil parents stone the poor couple to death. It’s a shocking and deeply upsetting ending that seethes with biblical allegories.

The 2024 remake flips the script and has the wholesome family triumphing over James McAvoy and his evil wife. In a cruel twist of fate for the evil father, the mute son ends his life by smashing a giant stone into his face. It’s gruesome but also cathartic for an audience who has learned of the atrocities this man has committed and also a smart homage to the original film’s ending.

Creating a Mass Market Film

Speak No Evil 2022 is a great film but it was a wise choice to change the ending for a wide audience. The film has an eery sense of tension throughout but the ending is so bleak and dark that it would not play well with most moviegoers.

Speak No Evil 2022 is a psychological horror movie for true fans of the genre. Those who love films like Goodnight Mommy, Maryters, or Funny Games will instantly attach to this 2022 film. But for a wide audience wanting to see something spooky on Friday the 13th, Speak No Evil 2022 would be too much. The remake can gently walk the tightrope of remaining true to the original while still appealing to a mass audience.

Themes and Subtext

The 2024 remake of Speak No Evil may lose the full frontal nudity, graphic tongue dismemberment, and biblical-style murder, but it retains enough of the original film’s DNA to be a faithful adaptation. The main plot is the same but the additions in Speak No Evil 2024 add a layer of subtext that wasn’t present in the original.

Throughout Speak No Evil 2024, James McAvoy as Paddy is constantly pushing the envelope making everyone uncomfortable. He pointedly asks Louise about her “vegan lite” diet, is brash with his child, and is open about his sexual desires. Paddy pushes everyone too far and invites only for them to push back. Speak No Evil 2022 has the same conceit but is much more subtle in its portrayal. The family in Speak No Evil 2022 never stood a chance. They don’t have any tough conversations with each other and it’s only after they are pushed to their absolute limits that they confront Patrick and his behavior. In the 2024 remake, the family isn’t perfect, but they admit as much. They are trying to be better and in the end, they work together to defeat evil.

Speak No Evil

The title in both films takes on a bit of a double meaning. Speak No Evil refers to of course the children who are made mute. Their tongue is cut out and they are not able to speak of the evils that have been put upon them. It also leads back to a statement by both patriarchal figures in each film. In Speak No Evil 2022 and 2024, when the family asks why they are doing this, the father responds with “Because you let me.”

This chilling line is delivered with equal horror in each film, to sum up the clueless family’s sins. Patrick and Paddy both are easily pinned as being off right from the start. They both have their charms but they also refuse to back down from confrontation. They are pushy, at times rude, and have no sense of personal boundaries. The family lets these things happen to them throughout the film. Even when they push back and speak out they are quick to relent after a swift apology or charming gesture. The family in each and us as the audience know something is wrong. And we are yelling at them to leave the house the whole time.

The Differences in Speak No Evil 2022 and Speak No Evil 2024

Many scenes are copied straight from one another, but one particular scene early on does a great job of portraying the differences in these two films. Early on in each, the evil father offers Louise, a vegetarian, a big slice of meat. Both Louises reluctantly accept after a slight bit of prodding from the menacing man. In the 2024 film, however, Louise spits the meat out when no one is looking. The 2022 Louise not only gives into the pressure to be polite but compromises her morals to do so. The 2024 Louise is too polite, sure. But she doesn’t compromise her integrity in doing so.

Speak No Evil 2022 and Speak No Evil 2024 are both excellent films that share the same DNA. They are both movies about families and the dangers of politeness. The difference is that Speak No Evil 2024 has a heroes arc whereas Speak No Evil 2022 does not. In the 2024 film, we see our hero family come together, overcome evil, and get their happy ending. Sort of. It’s still a psychological thriller and these kids are going to need thousands in therapy fees. Both films portray a family willing to kill to get what they want. But only Speak No Evil 2024 shows a family willing to kill to protect the ones they love.