--- title: "Speak No Evil: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/speak-no-evil/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/speak-no-evil" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 17 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Speak No Evil (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 17 reviews: 11 positive, 3 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics agree on one thing: James McAvoy. His turn as the host Paddy is praised in nearly every review, charming and menacing in the same breath, and several critics say he carries the film on his own. Beyond him the reviews split, and the spread is wide. The positive majority find James Watkins’s remake tense, funny and unsettling, a comedy of manners about the cost of good behaviour, and admire how it builds discomfort out of small awkward exchanges. The reservations cluster almost entirely on the ending, which most critics note is longer, louder and more conventional than the Danish original’s, and the dissenters think that change undoes the point. Slant Magazine is the harshest, dismissing the remake as spineless for softening the original’s cruelty; the Los Angeles Times and Den of Geek make a similar case more gently. The pattern is national: the British press is warmer, and the sharpest complaints come from American outlets. Collider alone prefers Mackenzie Davis to McAvoy. ## Evening Standard — Saskia Kemsley Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2024. James McAvoy delivers a masterful performance as the unsettling host in this twisted horror-comedy. Watkins balances dread, humour and cringe in a wild ride that plays on the fatal consequences of politeness. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/speak-no-evil-review-james-mcavoy-b1180806.html) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2024. The remake diverges from the original in satisfying ways with new twists and reversals. Director James Watkins excels at building suspense through ratcheting tension and character dynamics. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/speak-no-evil-2024/) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating 4/5. 10 September 2024. The critic finds the remake just as stark, satirical and unsettling as the original despite some mainstream concessions. McAvoy's charismatic yet malevolent performance stands out as a highlight. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/speak-no-evil-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Matt Zoller Seitz Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2024. The remake is a fun audience thriller that follows the original closely but adds a longer, more crowd-pleasing ending with the family fighting back. It excels as an entertaining night-out movie thanks to strong performances, especially McAvoy's charismatic yet menacing turn. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/speak-no-evil-film-review) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 4/5. 12 September 2024. The remake delivers a tense, blood-soaked horror-comedy of manners that makes viewers wary of weekend invitations. McAvoy excels as a plausible monster whose performance drives the film's thrills. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/speak-no-evil-review-james-mcavoy/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2024. The remake retains the core horror concept but softens the original's nihilism with added social commentary. McAvoy's charismatic yet menacing performance stands out as the film's strongest element. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/sep/13/speak-no-evil-review-james-mcevoy-gives-roaring-life-to-red-blooded-holiday-horror) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2024. McAvoy is totally unnerving as the jocular yet sinister Paddy in this psychological thriller. The film builds discomfort through awkward interactions before a scarring, downbeat conclusion influenced by classic home-invasion stories. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/speak-no-evil-review-james-mcavoy-3270111) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2024. Watkins delivers a sleek, unsettling remake that adheres closely to the Danish original while softening its nastiness and padding the runtime. The film caters to American tastes with reassuring myths and a less bleak worldview than the source. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/12/movies/speak-no-evil-review.html) ## Variety — J. Kim Murphy Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2024. The remake matches the original's slow-burn tension but shifts into horror-comedy territory with a crowd-pleasing ending that overplays its hand. McAvoy's over-the-top performance drives the film as a boorish vacation host from hell. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/speak-no-evil-review-james-mcavoy-remake-1236132626/) ## The AV Club — Natalia Keogan Rating C. 13 September 2024. The remake snuffs the original's sharp social commentary on bourgeois agreeability and nuclear family dynamics, lacking innovation or a clear identity. It relies on strong performances from McAvoy and others but ultimately says little. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/speak-no-evil-review) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2024. The Blumhouse remake polishes the bleak Danish original into a giggly date-night horror with more humor and catharsis but far less lingering dread. It treats the scenario as a comedy of manners rather than brutal descent, shortchanging the source's terror. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-09-12/speak-no-evil-review-james-mcavoy-horror-blumhouse-remake) ## Slant Magazine Rating 1/4. 10 September 2024. The remake is a gutless, hollow attempt to turn a provocative shocker into a crowd-pleaser, scrubbing cultural specificity for pop psychology and easy thrills. It infuriates by deviating from the original's uncompromising cruelty in a new direction. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/speak-no-evil-review-james-mcavoy/) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★☆☆. 12 September 2024. The film blends dark comedy of middle-class manners, a parenting fable and outright scares, with McAvoy energising the English personality portrait. The horror elements prove the least compelling part overall. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/8282b458-d11b-4d13-9a1d-893e2f8888e0) ## IndieWire — Ryan Lattanzio 10 September 2024. The review deems the remake unnecessary and unscary, effective only in McAvoy's creepy turn before descending into Straw Dogs-lite pulp. It grinds the original's tension into crowd-pleasing domestic comeuppance. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/speak-no-evil-remake-review-1235045980/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Caryn James 10 September 2024. The critic praises McAvoy's sinister performance and the film's slow-burn tension for most of its runtime as an entertaining elevated genre piece. It collapses into a predictable potboiler with a silly action climax. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/speak-no-evil-review-james-mcavoy-blumhouse-1235990847/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 11 September 2024. McAvoy delivers a terrifying, incandescent turn as a mercurial sociopath in this close remake of the Danish thriller. The shift to American and English characters deftly explores cultural fault lines and social politeness. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/speak-no-evil-review-james-mcavoy-is-a-deliciously-demented-sociopath-2pm6mwltl) ## Time Out — Stephen A Russell Rating 4 out of 5 stars. 4 September 2024. Even with a toned-down finale the remake remains seriously unnerving and gripping, with McAvoy delivering a predatory, beast-mode turn that drives the class satire and tension. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/speak-no-evil-review-2024) ## Vulture 13 September 2024. The remake is sillier and loonier than the Danish original due to its action-heavy happier ending and class-conscious tweaks, which undermine the source's unsettling effectiveness. It centers unwise avoidant behavior twice over but becomes a ridiculous thriller. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-speak-no-evil-remake-is-sillier-than-the-original.html) ## /Film — BJ Colangelo Rating 8.5/10. 10 September 2024. The critic deems it one of the rare Americanized horror remakes that works, maintaining brutality while injecting needed humor and exploring cultural differences in reactions. They single out James McAvoy’s career-best performance as Paddy and the stellar ensemble. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1656063/speak-no-evil-review-horror-remake/) ## HeyUGuys — Linda Marric Rating 4/5. 10 September 2024. The critic praises it as a meticulously crafted psychological thriller that retains the original’s unsettling core while adding suspenseful layers, calling it gripping and one of Blumhouse’s most accomplished works. They highlight the strong ensemble cast and the exploration of human behaviour under pressure. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/speak-no-evil-review/) ## NME — James Mottram Rating 4/5. 10 September 2024. The critic calls it one of the most chilling and effective horror-thrillers of the year, crediting James Watkins’ remake for avoiding cookie-cutter tropes largely thanks to James McAvoy’s gloriously unhinged performance. They single out the gruelling, violent final act that gets the blood pumping alongside the class commentary. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/speak-no-evil-review-james-mcavoy-horror-3792014) ## Collider — Emma Kiely Rating 5/10. 10 September 2024. The critic finds the Blumhouse remake inferior to the original Danish film, lacking tension, atmosphere, and emotional impact while delivering a more predictable Hollywood ending. They single out Mackenzie Davis's committed performance as the film's strongest element. [Read the review](https://collider.com/speak-no-evil-2024-review/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 2/5. 10 September 2024. The review praises McAvoy’s magnetic and charming performance as the main draw but criticises the remake for turning the original’s powerful ending into Hollywood fairy dust, undercutting the satire. They single out the loss of the original’s thorny, unforgettably brutal power in favour of a more conventional conclusion. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/speak-no-evil-review-horror-blumhouse/) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila 10 September 2024. The critic calls it a really good film but a terrible remake, faulting the tamer tone, lack of language barrier, and more traditional ending compared to the bleak original. They single out the strong tension-building, James McAvoy’s thrilling performance as Paddy, and the solid cast overall. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/speak-no-evil-review-an-ambitious-but-timid-remake/) ## The Wrap 13 September 2024. The critic calls the remake an excellent, piercing horror movie and an impressive, satisfying slow-burn thriller that relies on intelligence, craftsmanship and complicated performances. They single out the elegant direction, the film's examination of adult problems and fears, and the strong ensemble cast, especially McAvoy and the leads. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/speak-no-evil-review-james-mcavoy-mackenzie-davis-remake/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/speak-no-evil.md