‘Speak No Evil’ – Everything We Know About the Blumhouse Remake

The original Danish film, Speak No Evil, came out in 2022 and quickly skyrocketed to the top of online conversations such as Reddit posts that call the film “deeply disturbing,” “twisted,” and compare the movie to that of Frank Darabont’s The Mist. If you haven’t seen the original film yet, it’s highly advisable to avoid seeking out discussions and reviews of the film as they will likely contain a lot of spoilers. Now a remake is on the way from Blumhouse, the producer of horror hits like M3GAN, Get Out, and The Black Phone.

As horror fans anxiously await the release, this article will tell you everything you need to know about the upcoming Speak No Evil remake.

Editor’s Note: This piece was updated on April 11, 2024.

Does ‘Speak No Evil’ Have a Release Date?

The anticipated release date for the Speak No Evil remake is slated for September 13, 2024, when it will open against Paramount’s animated prequel film Transformers One. The remake was originally slated for release on August 9 but was delayed a month.

Will ‘Speak No Evil’ be in Theaters or on Streaming?

The Speak No Evil remake will enjoy an exclusive theatrical release and will be available to stream at a later date on the Peacock streaming service (since the film is a Universal production). While some recent Blumhouse movies such as Five Nights at Freddy’s and the latter two Halloween sequels were given day-and-date releases with Peacock, that won’t be the case for Speak No Evil.

Is There a Trailer for ‘Speak No Evil’?

The first official trailer for Speak No Evil was revealed during Universal’s Cinemacon 2024 presentation and was released online to the public shortly after. It can be watched above, but be warned, the trailer does have a few spoilers.

What Is ‘Speak No Evil’ About?

The official synopsis for the Speak No Evil remake reads:

When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.

Without spoiling any surprises, the original film follows married couple Bjørn and Louise and their daughter Agnes as they travel abroad to Italy on vacation. While there, they meet another couple, Patrick and Karin, and their son Abel, who is around Agnes’ age.

The families get along well, and it is soon discovered that Abel, who has been mute during their interactions, has a rare congenital condition in which he was born without a tongue. Weeks after they return home, Bjørn and Louise receive an invitation to visit Patrick and Karin at their country home 8 hours away. Soon after their arrival, however, they learn that the friendly couple they met in Tuscany are not as they seem. Patrick begins to badger and harass Louise for her preference for vegetarian and pescatarian meals, forcing her to eat red meat on more than one occasion.

The passive-aggressive behavior of their hosts makes Louise feel increasingly uncomfortable, but despite repeatedly asking her husband to leave, the couple decides to stay the rest of the weekend out of politeness. The night before their expected departure, the hosts propose to go out to dinner but expect Bjørn and Louise to agree to leave both Agnes and Abel under the supervision of their trusted babysitter, Muhajid. The seemingly harmless behaviors of Patrick and Karin begin to escalate, placing Bjørn, Louise, and their young daughter Agnes in terrible danger.

Who’s Stars in ‘Speak No Evil’?

James McAvoy was announced to star in the Speak No Evil remake in April 2023. McAvoy will play Paddy, a character that Universal describes as « the charismatic, alpha-male estate owner whose untrammeled hospitality masks an unspeakable darkness. » McAvoy is known for his dramatic depth in the 2007 film Atonement, the raunchy Scottish film Filth in 2013, but is best known for his role as Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise, Kevin Wendell Crumb in M. Night Shyamalan‘s Split and Glass, and an adult Bill Denborough in It Chapter Two.

Mackenzie Davis will be Louise Dalton, one-half of the unsuspecting American couple. Davis has been acting in film since 2013 with her debut performance in Breathe In. Since then, she has appeared in The Martian, Blade Runner 2049, Tully, and most notably in the Black Mirror episode “San Junipero,” as Yorkie.

Scoot McNairy will play the role of Louise’s husband, Ben Dalton. McNairy previously worked alongside Davis on all four seasons of the underrated drama series Halt and Catch Fire. McNairy is no stranger to genre fare, having starred in Gareth Edwards‘ directorial debut Monsters, as well as having a small role in A Quiet Place Part II. His other acting credits include roles in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Gone Girl, 12 Years a Slave, and Argo.

Aisling Franciosi will also be a part of the main cast as Paddy’s wife, Ciara. Franciosi has plenty of experience in the horror genre. She’s most known for her role as Lyanna Stark on Game of Thrones as well as for her roles in Jennifer Kent‘s The Nightingale, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, The Unforgivable, and most recently, Stopmotion.

Playing Ben and Louise’s daughter Agnes will be Alix West Lefler. The 12-year-old actress started her acting career in 2020, in an episode of The Good Doctor. Since then, she has appeared in Riverdale, the Netflix docu-drama The Good Nurse, and most recently in the film The King Tide. Newcomer Dan Hough will be playing Paddy and Ciara’s mute and mysterious son Ant.

Who Is Making the ‘Speak No Evil’ Remake?

James Watkins is the writer and director of the Speak No Evil remake. Watkins has plenty of experience in the world of horror, having directed the gothic horror movie The Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe, and the horror-thriller Eden Lake starring Michael Fassbender.

Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions will serve as the executive producer for the remake of Speak No Evil and Universal Pictures will distribute the film. Production began in May 2023, filming in Gloucester, England, and was scheduled to wrap sometime in July; however, filming stopped five days before it was finished due to the SAG-AFTRA Strike. Filming resumed in mid-November 2023.

Where To Watch the Original ‘Speak No Evil’?

The original Speak No Evil combines a mixture of Danish, Dutch, and English languages spoken throughout the film, so there are times when subtitles are necessary, but most of the time, when the two couples interact with each other, they speak in English as a common tongue. They only speak in their native languages when they wish to keep their conversations private from the other couple, which is… not alarming at all.

If you don’t mind spoilers and absolutely cannot wait for the release of the remake, you can stream the movie on Shudder, or you can rent or purchase it on other streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime, Vudu, Apple TV, or Google Play. As it’s not clear (aside from the filming locations in England) whether this movie will be set in the United States or in Europe, it’s still going to be an interesting cultural examination of the two films and how the characters interact with each other within the context of the film’s country of origin. Other cultures can perceive certain behaviors of Americans as “rude” or “aggressive,” but how will these differences be approached in a remake of a Danish film made for an American audience?

Watch on Shudder

Stay tuned here for updates on the production status and official trailer releases, as this article will be updated as more information comes out!