"Regardless of how many folks decry that there are too many remakes these days, the horror genre has been remaking the same films and stories since the era of silent film. Despite popular belief, a lot of horror movie remakes are pretty damn great, but an unfortunate truth is that when it comes to Americanized remakes of international works, the track record isn’t quite as impressive. For every “The Ring” or “Funny Games,” there are at least a dozen cash grabs that completely lose sight of what made the original film great. Oftentimes, it’s because American sensibilities and the relationship with threats of danger just don’t meld well with the story at hand. This is why when we see the various security cameras of various countries in “The Cabin in the Woods,” the style of horror differs greatly from the horror shown in the American cabin.

Which means “Eden Lake” and “Black Mirror” director James Watkins had his work cut out for him with Blumhouse and Universal’s remake of “Speak No Evil,” the 2022 Dutch hit from Christian Tafdrup that exploded in popularity after IFC Films and Shudder released the film stateside. The intensely bleak psychological horror film was declared by many as one of the very best of the year, and Blumhouse wasted little time snagging the remake rights. Lovers of the original were understandably skeptical, but “Speak No Evil” (2024) joins the ranks of the rare Americanized horror remakes that get it right. Instead of rehashing the same story beat by beat, Watkins — armed with a stellar ensemble cast led by a career-best James McAvoy — takes the central conflict of the original and explores how couples from different cultures would react under the same circumstances. The result is an assault of relentless tension and the best possible outcome for an Americanized remake…"