James McAvoy's Speak No Evil Remake Has 1 Glaring Problem The Original Didn't

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for 2022's Speak No Evil ending!

Summary The 2024 remake of Speak No Evil starring James McAvoy faces a major problem with its updated setting and characters.

The original movie's Scandinavian cultural commentary won't translate well to American and British characters in the remake.

To fix the issue, the upcoming horror movie needs to focus on making the central friendship between the families more believable.

Although 2024’s Speak No Evil remake looks promising, the James McAvoy project must fix one major problem with its premise. 2022’s Danish psychological horror Speak No Evil became a viral hit thanks to its ruthless twist ending, but this shocking, brutal twist completely changed the tone of the preceding movie. In its opening half, the horror movie plays out like a cringe comedy akin to Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure. It was only in Speak No Evil’s ending that the dark, depraved depths of the movie’s horror story become clear.

Speak No Evil follows two families, one Dutch and one Danish, who befriend each other while on holiday. When one family invites the other over to stay, this sets in motion a string of awkward misunderstandings that slowly morph into something more sinister. Vegetarians are served meat, the hosts keep changing details of their life stories, and their methods of disciplining their child shock their guests. However, the fastidiously polite protagonist refuses to make a fuss by speaking up, resulting in the movie’s story getting darker and darker. This might be a problem for Speak No Evil’s upcoming remake.

Related 13 Original Horror Movies We Can't Wait to See in 2024 2024 is loaded with high-profile horror prequels and sequels, but there is a long list of totally original spine-chillers that we're excited to see.

The Speak No Evil Remake Looks Great (But It Has 1 Glaring Story Problem)

Speak No Evil’s Remake Will Struggle To Translate Its Story

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the remake has a problem as 2024’s Speak No Evil focuses on American and British characters

James McAvoy stars in 2024’s remake of Speak No Evil, and judging by the movie’s first trailer, this update will stick closely to the original story. This might not be a good thing since Speak No Evil’s original story relies heavily on cultural context to make sense. 2022’s Speak No Evil succeeded with critics thanks to its setting and perspective since the subtle but noticeable differences between Danish and Dutch culture could conceivably have accounted for the odd behavior of the host family. Here, the remake has a problem as 2024’s Speak No Evil focuses on American and British characters.

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This change makes the whole situation much less believable since American culture doesn’t commonly prize politeness in the same way as Scandinavian social norms. Broadly speaking, American and British society can be far less trusting and more individualistic than their Scandinavian counterparts. Christian Tafdrup, the director of the original 2022 movie, said as much in an interview with NordicWatchlist, noting that Speak No Evil’s story is “very Scandinavian” as the Danes are “dictated by social manners and social views.” Tafdrup even went on to clarify that the characters of the 2022 movie are very reserved, specifically in contrast to American and British people.

Why The Setting Of The Speak No Evil Remake Makes Way Less Sense

Speak No Evil’s Satirical Point Made More Sense In Scandinavia

Image via Universal Pictures

Although James McAvoy’s upcoming horror movie looks good, Speak No Evil’s 2024 remake makes a lot less sense, thanks to its updated setting. It is less believable that an American family would end up staying at the home of an unfamiliar family, and if this were to occur, it is doubly unlikely that comparatively outspoken Americans wouldn’t highlight the many red flags involved in their host family's behavior. This critique admittedly leans heavily into broad generalizations about the behavior of people from various countries, but it is important to note that Tafdrup’s movie purposely centered on exactly this sort of cultural commentary.

While there might be many American families who are morbidly polite as the protagonists of the original 2022 movie, it remains true that American society is broadly associated with outspoken, individualistic self-expression. A similar issue occurred in 2010 when Dinner For Schmucks remade the French film Le Diner de Cons. The original movie centered on the uniquely French premise of a mean-spirited dinner where guests were encouraged to bring an unsuspecting guest whose eccentricities the hosts could mock. This didn’t translate to an American setting, much like Speak No Evil’s reliance on social mores doesn’t fit American characters.

How James McAvoy's Speak No Evil Can Get Around Its Biggest Story Issue

The Horror Movie Needs To Make Its Central Friendship More Believable

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Fortunately, James McAvoy’s upcoming horror movie could still sell Speak No Evil’s story provided the movie makes some alterations to the original plot. For one thing, the 2024 remake will need to focus more on the friendship between the two families while they are still on this vacation together. The original movie treats these scenes as a perfunctory backstory, whereas Speak No Evil’s remake will need to make viewers believe that the main family is utterly enamored with their new friends.

Secondly, Speak No Evil’s remake will also need to explain why the two families trust each other so much. One easy way to achieve this would be for one family to save the other from a crisis. A gesture of goodwill would go a long way to explaining why the guests keep rationalizing the weird behavior of their hosts. This would also make the ending’s eventual revelations more dramatic, giving viewers a reason to care about both families before Speak No Evil’s twist finally arrives.

Source: NordicWatchlist