Vacation Friends was the first movie that came to mind when I watched the trailer for Speak No Evil. The pitfalls of what may happen when you befriend strangers on vacation inspired both. Except, where Vacation Friends used humor to highlight how that could go sideways, Speak No Evil hones in on the horror.
It starts off harmless enough. Perhaps you’ve even been lucky enough to strike up a friendship with strangers on vacation? If so, you can relate. You’re away from home and all of its responsibilities, having a great time, and you end up connecting with people you get along great with. That’s the situation Speak No Evil presents.
A Look at Speak No Evil
In this case, American couple Ben and Louise Dalton (Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis) and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) are vacationing in Italy. That’s where they befriend British couple Patrick “Paddy” Feld and his wife Ciara (James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi) and their son Ant (Dan Hough).
They have a great time eating, drinking, swimming, and laughing together, and in general enjoy each other’s company. So much so that Paddy invites Ben and his family to his country estate. No. Scratch that. Isolated country estate.
Uh oh. That’s lesson one: Always know exactly what you’re agreeing to before accepting any invitation anywhere.
But if they did that, we’d have no movie to watch, so it’s good they ignored that advice.
At first, everyone’s happy to be reunited and it looks like they’re picking up right where they left off on vacation. Until things get awkward. Starting with Paddy insisting on feeding Louise some kind of poultry he’s prepared, even after Louise reminds him she’s vegetarian.
From there, the red flags just keep on coming. On vacation, Paddy had told them he’d retired from his practice as a doctor. When Louise cuts herself, Ben jokes, “Thank God there’s a doctor in the house.” To which Paddy says, “I’m not a doctor.”
Um, what? Ben and Louise have already noted—yet dismissed—some of the red flags, including ones Agnes has brought to their attention. But this one is a little harder to ignore and results in an awkward silence. Until Paddy assures them he’s just kidding. They nervously laugh it off but it’s clear they don’t believe him. (Neither do I.)
The suspense ramps up from there as Paddy’s behavior gets more inappropriate and aggressive. The tension is off the charts, and I can’t help but wonder why Paddy invited this nice family to his home. What does he want with them? Or to do with them, as the case may be.
We’ll get that answer when Speak No Evil releases in theaters on September 13.
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Have you ever made friends while on vacation?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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