Speak No Evil, the most advertised film ever, is finally out in the world. And it’s surprisingly quite good. This Blumhouse-produced film is a slow-burning tense weekend getaway that’s fully realized by excellent pacing and a stellar cast.

Blumhouse has become a household name in the world of horror. Jason Blum and his team made a name for themselves with the excellent Paranormal Activity film and have been on the rise ever since, sinking their teeth into everything from comics to video games. Aside from maybe their ventures with Jordan Peele, Speak No Evil is one of the best additions to their catalog.

Blumhouse Creates a House of Horrors

Speak No Evil wastes little setting up the conceit and general plot of the film. Ben and Louise Dalton, Europe’s most boring couple, run into the charming and eccentric Paddy and Ciara on vacation. They each have one child, a daughter for the former and a son for the latter, who instantly bond as the parents become more comfortable with each other throughout the trip. James McAvoy plays Paddy and is instantly realized as the perfect casting choice. He is charming, a little unorthodox, and exudes an air of sinistersim. His performance in particular is what elevates Speak No Evil from standard horror weekend flick to an incredible film.

Paddy invites Ben, Louise, and their daughter Agnes to a weekend away at their place in the country. The entire weekend is riddled with small creepy moments, overstepping from Paddy, and genuine discomfort. Ben and Louise do their best to save face pretending everything is okay until the inevitable twist comes in the form of something they can no longer ignore.

James McAvoy, The Scene Stealer

The highlight of the film and countless trailers is James McAvoy as Paddy. McAvoy plays the character perfectly, expertly balancing the tightrope of charming and sinister. Paddy as a character is central to this film. We as an audience have to believe that Paddy is charming enough to lure the Daltons to his house and creepy enough to create a sense of unease throughout their visit. Leaning too hard into the sinister would break the belief that this family would stick around Paddy’s house of horrors. And leaning too hard into the charm would make for a boring movie with no tension. McAvoy handles this role with such exacting precision that we always feel he’s a little off, a bit eccentric, but mostly harmless. It’s an incredible trick the film plays and one that McAvoy will surely be remembered for.

The rest of the casting is just as strong, with Mackenzie Davis doing an excellent job as the freaked-out mother. Her role in the film is one of reason but also deceit. We learn midway through the film of some conflict in her and Ben’s marriage and it raises not only the stakes but pinpoints the theme Speak No Evil is trying to portray.

Two Families

At the core of Speak No Evil is the story of two families. One family is desperately trying to reinvent itself while the other is desperately trying to keep itself together. It’s a story about the lengths one is willing to go to protect their family and turns the concept of the perfect family on its ear.

The script brilliantly realizes this through revelations made about both families central to the story. The twist that happens towards the end of the film comes as a surprise, but there are breadcrumbs left throughout for the audience to pick up on. We know immediately something amiss with the family but the film doesn’t rely on the twist the way an M. Night Shyamalan film might. Speak No Evil is just as much fun watching James McAvoy make his guests feel uncomfortable as it is in its big reveal.

Speak No Evil, See No Evil

A truly haunting moment comes towards the end of the film when our hero family asks why everything is happening to them. The answer Paddy gives is one that hearkens back to The Strangers and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Paddy replies simply “Because you let me.”

Throughout Speak No Evil it is clear something evil is lurking beneath the surface but it’s something we and the Daltons can never put our finger on. Rather than make their hosts feel uncomfortable, or call them out for toxic behavior, the Daltons remain polite and brush aside any conversation that’s too hard to have. It’s a brilliant narrative, one that Paddy pushes on the Daltons, frequently asking them to have hard intense conversations. The Daltons never do. Instead of calling the behavior out forthright, telling Paddy and Ciara they are inappropriate, they quickly try to leave in the dead of night. Avoiding any modicum of discomfort.

No Room for Polite Behavior

This avoidance of any difficult conversation is the downfall of the Dalton family. Not just at their weekend retreat, but in their family as well. This film is filled with conflict, subtext, and audiences screaming at the screen to get out! The Daltons ignore every warning sign with their eccentric hosts and in their faltering marriage, leading to disastrous results with both.

It’s here where Speak No Evil goes from a good horror flick to a great one. The script is tight and tense, the casting is impeccable, and the old farmhouse where the film is set is gorgeous. Speak No Evil ties all of these technical aspects together to tell an amazing story. One that requires the family and the audience to get out of their comfort zone.

Fixing the Horror Movie Problem

A big problem with modern horror films is the world’s new inclusion of cell phones. Many horror flicks have to write in a power outage or lack of cell signal to remove this device that could solve the conflict in 90% of horror movies made before the 2000s. Speak No Evil posits a similar problem and asks why is it a problem.

Like using a cell phone to call for help, tons of horror movies would end if the killer’s foe would simply walk away. Refuse to be polite and leave a dangerous situation without fear of hurting anyone’s feelings. The title, Speak No Evil, adds a double meaning to the generous conceit the film is trying to portray. Speaking No Evil is generally seen as a noble trait, but when it’s happening around you when it’s right in your face, then you should say the thing that no one wants to hear. The film asks the characters to speak up when they are uncomfortable. To call out the terrible behavior. And to run for the hills when something is amiss. It might just save their life and their family. Speak No Evil is a great film and an easy recommendation based solely on James McAvoy’s perfectly unhinged performance.