This movie was not the family movie night pick I expected. I’m used to comedies, maybe a coming-of-age or a musical once in a while– not horror. Those are reserved for October.

“Speak No Evil” (Universal Pictures, 2024) follows an American family who recently moved to London after the father lost his job. The mom (Mackenzie Davis), dad (Scoot McNairy), and their 11-year-old daughter (Alix West Lefler) go on a vacation to Italy, where they meet another family: Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their son Ant (Dan Hough), who has a condition that makes him basically incapable of speaking. After a week of fun, the families part ways, the Americans with an invitation to visit their new friends at their farm in Devon.

After some convincing, the Americans head to the farm, and chaos ensues. One of the best things about this movie is the fact that it really isn’t that scary. Most of the time, you’re cringing away from the screen and muttering under your breath about the characters’ stupidity. It’s more suspenseful than it is outright scary, though some bits will leave you reeling. Eventually, the movie builds to an ending scene that leaves you with the chills. 

I wasn’t particularly shocked at how the movie ended. You could sense it building, and you knew what was going to happen, but you couldn’t do anything about it (obviously, it’s a movie), which is part of what makes thrillers so infuriating to me. 

Overall, the whole production was done well, with good acting, good production, and a solid script. If you’re interested in an easy, chilling watch for your movie night, go for it. It might just leave you speechless.