Speak No Evil (2024) follows the Dalton family—Ben, Louise, and their daughter Agnes—who form a seemingly innocent friendship with a British couple, Paddy and Ciara, and their mute son, Ant. The family is invited to spend a weekend at the couple’s remote farm in the English countryside.
As the visit progresses, the Daltons begin to notice that their hosts’ behavior is more erratic and unsettling than they had initially realized, especially in how they interact with Agnes. While the Daltons initially try to dismiss their concerns, the situation becomes increasingly tense as they uncover strange clues about their hosts.
As the Daltons spend more time at the farm, they begin to feel increasingly uncomfortable with Paddy and Ciara’s behavior, particularly their unhealthy fixation on Agnes. Their suspicions grow when Ant takes Agnes to a hidden basement beneath a stable and reveals the horrific truth.
The basement is filled with the belongings of other families, confirming that Paddy and Ciara are serial killers who have lured families to the farm in the past, murdered the parents, and kept the surviving children as part of their twisted family. Ant reveals that he was once a part of this nightmare and had his tongue cut out to prevent him from speaking about the horrors they have endured. With the chilling knowledge that Agnes is intended to replace him, the Daltons realize they are in grave danger.
In the film’s tense final act, the Daltons make a desperate attempt to escape the farm, aided by the knowledge that Ant is desperate to flee as well. As they try to make their exit, they are caught by Paddy and Ciara, who are more cunning than the Daltons anticipated. The family fights back fiercely.
Louise kills Paddy and Chef Mike, one of his accomplices, while also managing to defeat Ciara in a brutal rooftop confrontation. Just when they think they’ve escaped, Paddy captures Agnes, holding her at gunpoint and revealing that she will now take the place of his “wife” after Ciara’s death. In a shocking twist, Agnes paralyzes him with a syringe of Ketamine, and Ant, hardened by years of abuse, kills Paddy by bashing his face in with a rock.
Paddy – James McAvoy (Speak No Evil/Universal Pictures)A Bittersweet Escape
The film ends with the Daltons driving away from the farm, their escape from the horrific situation secured. Agnes, despite the trauma she has endured, shows empathy toward Ant by giving him her stuffed bunny to hold as a small token of kindness. While the family escapes physically from the farm, the emotional scars of their experience linger.
The final scenes suggest that Ant, having been exposed to years of cruelty, may not be able to fully recover from his trauma, leaving a chilling ambiguity about his future. Though the Daltons survive, the film underscores the lasting impact of such horrific experiences, particularly on a young mind.
Differences from the Original Danish Film
While Speak No Evil (2024) and the original 2022 Danish film share a similar premise and core plot, their endings differ significantly in tone and resolution. In the Danish version, the father, Bjørn, discovers the killers’ “trophy room” and tries to escape with his family, but they are ultimately caught.
Unlike the American remake, the Danish film ends in a far darker, more tragic way. Louise is forced to watch as the killers cut out Agnes’s tongue, and the family is brutally murdered. The killers, now with a new mute child, drive off to target their next victims. This tragic ending reflects a more pessimistic worldview, whereas the remake opts for a more conventional horror movie resolution, with the family escaping and the killers being punished.
The ending of Speak No Evil (2024) reflects a more traditional Hollywood approach, where the protagonists are able to fight back and escape, with the evil characters receiving their due punishment. This contrasts sharply with the Danish original, which offers a much bleaker, more nihilistic conclusion.
Both films, however, explore themes of parental influence and the long-lasting effects of trauma. The film’s ending hints that Ant, despite his escape, maybe forever scarred by his experiences, potentially following in the killers’ footsteps. This theme of inherited trauma is central to the story and serves as a grim reminder of the darker psychological toll that such experiences can take on a child.
