Speak No Evil

A family of four from the United States accepts an invitation from a friendly British couple to spend a weekend at their picturesque country house, hoping for a restorative getaway. At first the hosts seem warm and impossibly attentive, and the two families slip into an easy camaraderie. Little social missteps and awkward jokes start to pile up, though, and polite smiles give way to tension. As the lines of hospitality and decency blur, the holiday's pleasant rhythm shifts toward paranoia and dread, with relationships fraying under escalating psychological pressure and uncomfortable power plays.

The English-language Speak No Evil was released in 2024, directed by James Watkins and developed from work by Christian Tafdrup, with Mads Tafdrup also credited among the creators. The cast is led by James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi, and Alix West Lefler.

The film opened in theaters in 2024 and reached international audiences through its wide release. It attracted attention at genre-focused screenings and quietly built an audience through word of mouth and streaming windows that followed its theatrical run.

Audiences have given Speak No Evil a solid reception, reflected by a vote average of 7.17 out of 10 from 1,868 votes, and reviews often single out the cast for their tense, tightly wound performances. The movie leans on sustained unease rather than jump scares, and it asks questions about politeness, social obligation, and how small cruelties can escalate when nobody wants to create a scene.

The film has sparked conversations about modern manners and the dangers of passive complicity, with certain scenes and character choices frequently mentioned in online discussions and think pieces. It has become part of recent horror-thriller conversation for how it turns everyday social rituals into sources of mounting dread.