Speak No Evil – Shudder Review (5/5)

SPEAK NO EVIL on Shudder is a horror movie from Denmark which should make a deep impact on anyone who watches it. There is nothing supernatural going on. It just shines a spotlight on the horror of human nature. Read our Speak No Evil (2022) movie review here!

SPEAK NO EVIL is a new Shudder horror movie addition that will get a movie theater release as well. The movie is a hardcore psychological horror movie at first. However, it does get very physical before the end credits finally offer some release! Then again, I watched this movie months ago, and it still hasn’t really left me.

Sounds a bit too over the top? Well, trust me, if anything, I am holding back because this movie is pure terror. The story is brutal in its simplicity and both the visuals and sounds in this movie are superb. Do not miss out on watching this in a movie theater if at all possible. The horror will hit you even harder – and then you can re-watch it on Shudder.

Continue reading our full Speak No Evil movie review below. The movie premieres in select theaters on September 9 and will be out on Shudder from September 15, 2022.

Typical behavior from Danes!

Speak No Evil is a horror movie from my own native Denmark. However, since half the core cast is Dutch, the language spoken is primarily English. Though, of course, there are also some Danish and Dutch spoken throughout. Trust me, though, the main language of this horror movie is not that of words.

It’s more about watching their body language and seeing the impact and reactions to pure human nature. As a Dane, I promise you this is classic Danish behavior. We can be polite and hold back to a fault: all to keep the mood nice and light for everyone.

That’s why the main topic of this movie becomes; How much can anyone accept and “brush off” before feeling the need to react?! Well, if history has shown us anything, it’s that we often wait much too long before we react.

Just do something!

This Danish horror movie is a very small and simple story focusing on exactly that part of human nature. Often, we accept certain behavior or do things we don’t want to. Not because we’re forced to, but because someone makes us feel bad about reacting.

In Speak No Evil, you should expect that the feeling to shout out “Do something!!!” will become stronger and stronger.

We follow a Danish couple who end up visiting a Dutch couple in their rural home. The two couples (each with one child around the same age) met on a vacation in Southern Europe and hit it off, so they’re meeting up again. When visiting the Dutch home, the Danish couple experiences some strange things.

For good measure, they do react a few times. However, it’s often way too little and much too late. And again, they are easily convinced that they misunderstood the situation or that it’s a cultural thing. For the record, Dutch and Danish people are extremely similar in most ways, so the Danes should know better.

The very last words spoken in this movie (yes, in English) sum up how it got so far in a perfect way. And that is terrifying as all hell. It also forces you to take a good long look in the mirror and wonder; How far would I have let it continue?

Watch Speak No Evil in theaters or on Shudder!

Speak No Evil was directed by Christian Tafdrup and the screenplay is written with his brother, Mads Tafdrup. The movie premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2022 with amazing reviews. The fact that this movie is based on a strange experience the brothers had when they were kids, only makes it even crazier. Though it did, obviously, end differently.

If you enjoy horror movies by Ari Aster or Jordan Peele, then you will definitely want to check out this one. Big names to throw out there, I know, but I stand by this wholeheartedly!

Also, if you’ve watched the amazing Norwegian horror movie Thelma (2017) by Joachim Trier, then you’ll recognize the huge impact of sound. In particular, the way music is used to create uncertainty and straight-up terror. It’s almost a violent impact, which (obviously!) hits even harder in a dark movie theater. You’ll feel this from the opening scene.

Speak No Evil (2022) is in select US theaters from September 9 and premieres on Shudder on September 15, 2022.

Details

In Theaters: September 9, 2022 (US)
On VOD: September 15, 2022 (Shudder)
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Drama
Director: Christian Tafdrup
Writers: Christian Tafdrup, Mads Tafdrup
Cast: Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja Van Huêt, Karina Smulders, Liva Forsberg, Marius Damslev