The age of remakes, sequels, and requels is still upon us, and the latest remake in the horror genre is none other than Speak No Evil. Led by powerhouse performer James McAvoy and produced by Blumhouse, Speak No Evil is the American version of the Danish psychological horror film released only two years ago. The original film follows a mild-mannered Danish family who agree to visit a more outgoing Dutch family they met on vacation. Throughout their stay, the Danish family experiences what can only be described as “aggressively friendly” behavior from the Dutch family that becomes increasingly alarming as their visit progresses.
The original Danish film was made on a relatively small budget of just $3.2 million and made $631,249 as it was released theatrically in the Netherlands and Denmark in 2022. It eventually found its home on Shudder in September 2022 after a limited theatrical run in the U.S. In April 2023, Blumhouse announced it was remaking the Danish horror film with McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis starring. James Watkins, who directed the 2008 psychological horror film Eden Lake, was announced as the director with Jason Blum producing.
As with any remake, the American version of Speak No Evil makes changes to the original, especially in the third act. The Danish original is a slow-burning psychological drama that grows increasingly uncomfortable and irritating as the film goes on. While the American version has made changes, the final act of the original is as frustrating as it is disturbing. So, what happens at the end of the original Speak No Evil?
What Happens Between the Dutch and Danish Families?
To have the full impact of the film’s twisted ending, we have to understand the strange power dynamic between the Dutch and Danish families. The Dutch family, including husband Patrick (Fedja van Huet) and wife Karin (Karina Smulders), are extremely outgoing people despite having a rather quiet son named Abel (Marius Damslev).
Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch) and Bjørn (Morten Burian) are a more reserved Danish couple with a young daughter named Agnes (Liva Forsberg). Despite being hesitant at first about visiting a family they met on vacation in Italy, Louise and Bjorn decide to pack up their daughter and head out to the Dutch family’s rural cabin in the Netherlands.
Throughout their stay, Louise and Bjørn’s patience is tested by Patrick and Karin’s passive-aggressive behavior and constant mistreatment of their son Abel. Every time the Dutch couple makes the Danish couple uncomfortable enough to want to leave, Patrick and Karin convince them to stay. Even when Louise finds her daughter sleeping in bed with a naked Patrick, she and Bjørn are yet again convinced to stay after Patrick explains she was having trouble sleeping, and he wanted her to feel safe.
In their attempt not to come across as ungrateful for Patrick and Karin’s “hospitality,” Louise and Bjørn continuously make the most ridiculous decisions, ultimately putting their entire family at risk. Between persuading Louise to eat meat despite being a firm vegetarian and bullying Bjørn into paying for dinner, the Danish couple let the Dutch couple walk all over them to avoid being viewed as rude.
What Is Revealed About the Dutch Family?
As the movie goes on, it becomes apparent that there is something more sinister about the Dutch couple than just passive-aggressive behavior. Abel doesn’t speak and always appears hesitant around his parents. After the incident with Agnes and an argument between both sets of parents that results in a mug being thrown at Abel, Louise and Bjørn finally start to think about leaving for real.
The night of that argument, Bjørn discovers a cabin outside filled with cameras and empty luggage. The walls are littered with photos of Patrick and Karin hanging out with other couples with young children, suggesting the Dutch couple are serial killers and Bjørn and his family are their next victims. Bjørn then discovers Abel’s drowned body at the bottom of a well, confirming his suspicions of the Dutch couple being murderers.
If the constant passive-aggressive behavior and treatment of Abel weren’t enough to convince the Danish family to leave, Bjørn’s discoveries were. That was the final straw for Louise and Bjørn to take their daughter and run, although they can’t even do that right.
Why Didn’t the Danish Family Fight Back?
Louise and Bjørn are well-mannered, friendly, respectful people who teach their daughter to be the same way. Despite the initial hesitation at accepting an invitation to visit a family they met once, the Danish family agreed in order to not seem rude or stuck-up. Their dedication to being polite and respectful is what ultimately put the family in harm’s way. Their desire to be kind and desperation to avoid conflict overrides their fight or flight instincts and causes them to ignore very obvious red flags.
By the time Louise and Bjørn realize that the Dutch couple are not who they say they are, they have already missed out on multiple escape opportunities. Even then, they still try to keep the peace and hide any doubts they have about Patrick and Karin. This could be seen as a survival tactic to keep Patrick and Karin from suspecting that they know something is wrong, but the truth is Bjørn and Louise have no survival skills.
They severely lack common sense when it comes to safety and well-being. They are too concerned with pleasantries and formalities to trust their gut and get out of dodge when something seems off. It is incredibly frustrating, borderline rage-inducing, to watch these parents consistently make the wrong decisions and let another couple bully them into doing things they quite obviously do not want to do.
What the Speak No Evil Ending Actually Means
Before Louise and Bjørn attempt their final escape, it is suggested that Patrick and Karin are serial killers who have done this to other couples many times before. That is made clear when Bjørn finds Abel’s dead body at the bottom of a well. Earlier in the film, Patrick and Karin briefly explain that Abel was born with no tongue. After Bjørn’s discovery, it is also revealed that the Dutch couple cut out his tongue so he could not speak to anyone about what his parents were up to.
In a surprisingly dark twist, the Danish family learns that Abel is not their real son, but the child of another couple that they met on a previous vacation. Patrick and Karin take fake holidays to chat up young couples, invite them to their house, and eventually steal their children in a vicious cycle.
Agnes was their next child victim. Bjørn is beaten and Louise is held down, so Karin can slice off Agnes’ tongue and kidnap her. Bjørn and Louise are driven off to a remote location where they are ordered to undress and march down a quarry. Knowing their time is up, Bjørn asks “Why are you doing this to us?”, to which Patrick smugly replies “Because you let us,” which is the crux of the entire situation. Without even an attempt at fighting for their lives, Bjørn and Louise are taken to the bottom of the quarry and stoned to death.
Everything in the film ties to Patrick’s “Because you let us” line. At no point did Bjørn and Louise stand up for themselves or their daughter. They let Patrick and Karin walk over them and bully them without any consequences. Only once do Bjørn and Louise truly try to challenge their hosts, when they throw the mug at Abel, and still they immediately back down when it becomes awkward. Patrick and Karin were challenging their devotion to social niceties and politeness from the beginning, and Louise and Bjørn fed right into it.
Bjørn and Louise’s behavior relates to the film’s title, which is derivative of the Three Wise Monkeys, a Japanese pictorial principle that represents the proverb “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” Each monkey represents one of the actions.
There are many interpretations of the proverb’s meaning, but the one that refers to people who turn a blind eye toward upsetting behavior and language is blatantly related to the film. It suggests that those who turn a blind eye essentially ignore undesirable behavior or information, which expertly describes our two protagonists. Perhaps if Bjørn and Louise had just accepted the reality of their situation, things might have turned out differently for them and Agnes.
The original
Speak No Evil
is available to stream on Shudder, and the American
Speak No Evil
is now playing in theaters.
