Richard Crouse

SYNOPSIS: In “Speak No Evil,” a new psychological horror thriller movie starring James McAvoy and now playing in theatres, a dream holiday turns into a nightmare when an American couple and their daughter spend an eventful weekend at a British family’s scenic country estate.

CAST: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough and Scoot McNairy. Directed by James Watkins.

REVIEW: Spending time with people you barely know can be great for a change of pace or scenery, or it can be like the events “Speak No Evil,” a cautionary tale about taking strangers up on offers of weekend getaways.

A slightly tweaked remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name, this one sees McAvoy in malevolent mischievous mode as the reckless, pushy and overly familiar Paddy, husband to the free-spirited Ciara (Aisling Franciosi). After a quick Italian vacation get-to-know-ya with Americans Ben and Louise Dalton (Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis) and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler), the gregarious couple invite their new friends to their rambling English country house for a weekend of fun.

The house is not what Ben and Louise expected. The stained bedsheets are a problem and the bad electrical makes their hairdryer shoot sparks. Worse, Louise doesn’t like her hosts. “I don’t find them that pleasant to be around,” she says.

Turns out, her instincts are right. Over the weekend Paddy and Ciara prove to not be as free spirited as they first appeared, and it’s possible their hospitality could land the Daltons in the hospital… or worse.

“Speak No Evil” is a simple, character-based thriller with a slow build to an explosive finale. It does not offer up the bleak exercise in trauma of the Danish film. Instead, it’s a social satire, pitting an uptight city couple against the seemingly unfettered country home dwellers. A violent comedy of manners, it explores where civility ends, and survival begins.

As for the horror, it’s a standard slice of city folks making all the wrong decisions, digging deep and defending themselves. By the time the action begins, writer/director James Watkins replaces the terrors of the Danish original with an extended traditional, but cathartic, good vs. evil set piece. It’s a crowd-pleasing good time, with high stakes, that had the audience I saw this with cheering.

“Speak No Evil” benefits greatly from McAvoy’s performance. It’s a nasty turn, that takes allows the actor’s innate charm disguise the character’s menace. Funny and disturbing, brutish and over-the-top, he’s a throbbing bundle of microaggressions and madness that caps off an enjoyable, if toned down version of the Danish film.