Speak No Evil director defends remaking a two-year-old movie and changing one of its best scenes: "I wanted to make a film that is tense"

Scoot McNairy as Ben and James McAvoy as Paddy in Speak No Evil

(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

Although the original Speak No Evil movie only came out less than two years ago, writer-director James Watkins feels like his remake is different enough to stand out as he defends some of the changes he made to the original story.

"There'll be people that see the original movie and go, 'Why hasn't he remade that movie? Why hasn't he made this incredibly punchy, unrelenting ending?'” Watkins tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features Agatha All Along on the cover and hits newsstands on September 4.

"But I would argue, with my characters and their journey, I'm following through their journey in terms of agency and how they would react. What I've taken from Christian's film is the satire, the exploration of the social rules, and how we react."

The 2022 Danish version written and directed by Christian Tafdrup follows a Danish family of three who visit a Dutch family they met on a holiday. But the idyllic, rural weekend away soon turns into a living nightmare when the host family starts to show their true colors and make their guests wish they had never met them at all.

Watkins' take, also titled Speak No Evil, seems to follow the same premise at face value, swapping the Danish and Dutch families for American and English ones. But the director suggests that audiences will get a surprise upon its release as he has changed some of the movie's most poignant scenes. "I've made an incredibly bleak movie before, so I didn't feel I needed to make another one," he says.

"You can give people an incredibly tense roller coaster ride that has thematic nourishment and things to take away and talk about in the pub, but it can be fun." One of horror fans' biggest concerns when the remake was announced was how some of the original Shudder movie's more raw themes would translate to a mainstream audience on the big screen. Watkins says this is all down to adding a bit of "fun" as he calls it.

"People need fun... Fun in inverted commas. I've sat with audiences and people come out of this absolutely rinsed, like you would on a great roller coaster ride," explains Watkins. "I wanted to make a film that is tense and has people screaming at the screen."

Starring as the hosts from hell are James McAvoy and Stopmotion star Aisling Franciosi. The cast also includes Blade Runner 2049's Mackenzie Davis and Narcos: Mexico's Scoot McNairy as the unknowing victims.

Not a subscriber to SFX? Then head on over here to get the latest issues sent directly to your home/device!

Speak No Evil releases on September 13. The original is available to stream on Shudder. Read more in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Agatha All Along on the cover and will be available from Wednesday, September 4.

For even more from SFX, sign up to our newsletter, which delivers all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.

I'm the Junior Social Media Editor here at GamesRadar+, handling all of Total Film's social platforms. However, I also write, covering all things film and TV for the site's entertainment section. I joined GamesRadar+ in 2023 and have been here ever since. I previously worked in communications after graduating with an MA in journalism. In my spare time, you can find me binging horror movies or getting lost in a cosy little game on my Switch.