MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Speak No Evil’

“Speak No Evil” is the new horror movie from studio Blumhouse which brought “Get Out” and “Paranormal Activity.” The movie stars Mackenzie Davis — who acted in “Blade Runner 2049” and “Terminator: Dark Fate” — and Scoot McNairy as an American wife and husband living in London. Whilst traveling to Italy with their daughter, they befriend an extroverted British couple, Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their nonverbal son. After the American couple gets home, they receive a letter from their newfound friends inviting them to their home in the countryside.

When they arrive at the countryside, Paddy’s sinister intentions are slowly revealed. What I just described may sound like a snuff film, but “Speak No Evil” is far from that. “Speak No Evil” is an interesting, deliberately paced horror thriller. For much of the movie, Paddy’s sinister intentions are only implied, as what we explicitly see is a man trying to show his friends a good time.

Even in the movie’s earlier sections when anything sinister is implicit, the movie is scary as hell thanks to a wonderful performance by James McAvoy, who has acted in “X‐Men: First Class” and “Split,” among others. He can strike fear into your heart just with a stare or a snide remark. McAvoy makes clear that Paddy is not a person you’d want to be around even when the protagonists seem to enjoy him. So much of the terror comes just from McAvoy’s intense eye contact or lingering stares. It’s an amazing facial performance that sticks with you.

“Speak No Evil” also uses some fascinating film techniques. For example, the majority of the movie has no score; very little music is heard at all throughout the film’s first two acts. It’s not until act three that the score kicks in, just as the scares start in earnest.

The movie also takes a long time to make explicit that anything at all is amiss with Paddy and Ciara. It’s a slow-burn of a horror movie that takes its time to teach you how its characters think and feel before it scares the daylights out of you. When Paddy’s foul intentions are finally made explicit, the movie kicks into high-gear with an explosive, crazy third act sure to terrify you. “Speak No Evil” is playing in theaters now, just in time for Halloween season.

Follow the Daily Wildcat on Instagram and Twitter/X

Kate is a student at the University of Arizona. She loves improv comedy and comic books.