English language remakes of remarkable foreign films can be hit or miss, but the just released trailer for the remake to Christian Tafdrup’s hyper-tense 2022 film Speak No Evil seems like it may fall into the hit category. The story seems innocent enough, two families meet and hit it off while on vacation leading to an invitation for one couple to visit the other’s country home. Like pretty much everything in this film, appearances can be deceiving.
The genius of the original was the way the feeling of impending evil slowly ramped up, sometimes imperceptibly until you looked around and realized you were in hell. What starts as fun turns to awkward which then turns to horror, the slowness of the progression triggering something sub-conscious making you physically anxious. Seriously the only other film that had me longing for Xanax this way was Uncut Gems, though Speak No Evil was far more worth the trials it requires of you.
So why does this trailer give the impression of a remake that lives up to the original? Two words, James McAvoy. After his performance in Split I don’t think anyone would accuse him of not having range but damn it, the subtelty he adds to his performances…it really is something to behold. Even within the confines of the 2min 38 seconds of the trailer I could feel myself squirming when he was on screen.
Check out the trailer below and look for Speak No Evil in theaters September 13th
Official Synopsis:
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.
