On September 15th, I went to Regal Theater in Noblesville to watch “Speak No Evil.” This psychological horror film from Universal Pictures stars James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, and Scott McNary. It is a remake of the Danish film “Gæstern.”
The movie follows Louis, Ben, and Agnes Dalton as the family goes on a vacation in the countryside with their new friends, Ciara, Paddy, and Ant. Though they plan to use the trip as a getaway, things quickly turn sour when their new friends begin to act a little strange. They realize far too late that they are not the first guests who have been treated to a not-so-pleasant vacation with this family.
The movie consists of some graphic violence and phenomenal acting, especially from McAvoy as Paddy. Like most psychological horror movies, the movie spends more time building suspense than it spends on the payoff. As someone who has watched a lot of horror movies, I expected the long build-up, but I was a little disappointed with how short the actual climax was.
The actual craziness of the story only happened in the last thirty minutes or so. The movie also builds Paddy to be super strong and scary, then when the film gets to the fighting, he is beaten pretty easily along with everyone else. I do like that they give Ant some sort of revenge against the family, but I will not spoil what that was.
Despite that, I do think that this was a well done movie. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers and wants a good thrill.
