Speak No Evil (2024) (Collector’s Edition) [Blu-Ray]

Director: James Watkins

Cast: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy

Release Date: November 19, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

After befriending a British couple with a mute son, Americans Ben and Louise accept an unusual invitation to bring their daughter for a weekend at an idyllic country estate. Yet when they discover their hosts are hiding sinister motives, Ben and Louise fear their family may be pawns in a disturbing plot. Led by a riveting performance from James McAvoy (Split, Glass) as a charismatic man masking unspeakable darkness, a dream holiday warps into an unnerving nightmare in this shocking thriller from Blumhouse, producers of The Black Phone.

‘Speak No Evil’ accompanies American family Ben and Louise who along with their daughter befriend a relatable British couple and their mute son on vacation and soon after returning home from the trip are invited by the pair to come spend a weekend at their idyllic country estate. Hoping for a nice change of pace, they arrive at the secluded home of the British couple and hope for a relaxing weekend away. But as Ben and Louise try to settle in they can’t help but start to notice increasingly odd and rude behavior from their hosts which puts them on edge. Barely unable to resist the thought of leaving, they soon begin to wish they had as the odd behavior begins to reach a more concerning level.

Written for the screen and directed by James Watkins (Eden Lake, The Woman in Black) who does a wonderful job at the helm of ‘Speak No Evil’ guiding along the twisted fun and tension with care and some dark humor. The film’s cast includes James McAvoy (Split), Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate), Aisling Franciosi (The Last Voyage of the Demeter), Alix West Lefler (TV’s Riverdale), Dan Hough (TV’s Hollyoaks) and Scoot McNairy (TV’s True Detective), with the majority offering solid and capable performances altogether in their respective roles, yet McAvoy frequently tends to steal the show throughout.

‘Speak No Evil’ is a tense and unsettling thriller that joins an American family that hits it off with a British family on vacation and soon thereafter heads out to the countryside to visit their home. But what they hope will be a relaxing and enjoyable stay begins slowly transforming into a stay in hell as their new friends quickly start to show off another, far more sinister side to themselves that leads to uncertainty, terror and no shortage of horrifying secrets to be uncovered during the stay.

As opposed to a wildly violent and relentlessly graphic horror film, ‘Speak No Evil’ instead uses the psychology of a terrifying situation to set the viewer on edge and as more is revealed along the course of the film it ramps up the tension along with it and quickly leads to uncertainty and fear permeating every corner as the visiting family is forced to make one questionable decision after another as they try to be prepared for the increasing unpleasantness and mood shifts that their hosts seem to showcase more frequently as the weekend progresses, fearing just how much they might be capable of. While the film is based upon the 2022 Danish film of the same name, it changes things up quite a bit throughout which will surely disappoint some rabid fans of the original, while likely pleasing others who will appreciate something different being offered as opposed to a straight carbon copy.

This new take of ‘Speak of No Evil’ is nicely guided along by filmmaker James Watkins (who also penned the script) and benefits all the more by some solid performances, specifically from James McAvoy who is utterly terrifying and fantastic, once again showcasing his impressive knack for delivering a memorable villainous performance and he is definitely at his finest here. If you tend to enjoy a well-crafted psychological thriller that will get under your skin without assaulting you with constant gore and blatant violence, then ‘Speak No Evil’ is definitely worth giving a shot and genre fans should find plenty to appreciate about this adaptation. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of this one and might be understandably hesitant to spend the money on a blind purchase, it should still be well worth your time and the cost of a rental at the very least.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Speak No Evil’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks very good as a whole and provides a sharp, clean and richly detailed presentation from start to finish that’s never plagued by any unexpected issues or troubles to be found throughout. Detail is consistently solid on everything from character faces and clothing to the interior and expansive exterior settings on display, while colors hold up nicely and are further boosted by clean and deep black levels throughout. Overall, this is a great high definition video presentation that holds up capably at every turn and should have no trouble satisfying fans and newcomers.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack nicely complements on the onscreen tension and chaos and it delivers a crisp, clean and at times fairly aggressive audio presentation throughout. It takes advantage of all seven available channels quite consistently in order to send music, nature and action-like effects, plus a fair bit more moving throughout the various speakers whenever appropriate, while never causing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously with one another to become distorted or problematic. Overall, this is a very nice 7.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack that never disappoints and should please viewers.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of ‘Speak No Evil’ features a few enjoyable extras. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with Writer/Director James Watkins’, in addition to a few Behind the Scenes Featurettes including ‘Nuclear Families’ (running approximately 9 minutes in length), ‘A Horrifying Crescendo’ (running approximately 5 minutes) and ‘The Farmhouse of Horrors’ (4 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

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‘Speak No Evil: Collector’s Edition’ Arrives on Blu-ray & DVD November 19, 2024 & is Now Available on Digital from Blumhouse & Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

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You can purchase ‘Speak No Evil (2024) on Blu-ray on Amazon HERE!

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