‘Speak No Evil’ changed the original ending for the better
Speak No Evil is coming out, and while you can watch the original Danish film to prepare, the ending between the two films differ. So what exactly happens in the 2024 remake that makes it different from the original? Let’s get into it.
In the James Watkins version starring James McAvoy, the family survives. So that’s a pretty significant change. The original movie has Patrick and Karin succeeding in stoning the other couple to death, cutting out their daughter’s tongue, and continuing their sinister plan. While the 2024 movie is technically a remake, it is interesting to look at its changed ending and the next logical step in the story.
In the American version, Paddy (McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi)—our new Patrick and Karin—are no match for Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy), as the two get themselves and the two kids to safety. The new film is also a bit more anxiety driven in the final act than the original, but whether that is due to the Hollywood budget or something else, we don’t know.
It does lead to the ending being a bit more easy to take in. We watched this family try their best to survive, and I think if they didn’t get out of there alive, it would have left me even more distraught than I already was. Now, Speak No Evil is a bit more rewatchable than the original.
A new direction
When Watkins talked about the change to Radio Times, he said he wanted to take the themes from Christian Tafdrup’s original film and change the direction of it. “I love Christian’s movie, but I also thought there was an opportunity to take the themes of his movie and the set-up of it, but to slightly push it in a different direction,” he said. He went on to compare how his characters interact with Paddy and Ciara.
“I wanted these characters to try, when faced with mortal danger, to find a way out – but they’re pretty cack-handed about it, particularly Ben, who has followed this kind of weird, toxic-masculine mentor,” Watkins said. “I thought it was interesting for him to think he could be this kind of guy, and then when it comes down to it, he’s a bit crap. And actually, his wife is better.”
And she is. Louise is stronger than Ben is and she is basically the only reason they survive and Watkins explains how that is. “I thought there’s a real opportunity here. If Christian’s movie plays kind of like an acoustic [guitar], Mackenzie and McAvoy and McNairy are electric. And so I think they’re different things, and I think it’s great that they can both exist.”
So the ending of the 2024 Speak No Evil is a “happy one” but if you want to watch the original, don’t expect that.
Speak No Evil is in theaters on Friday, September 13.
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