Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Speak No Evil (2024)!2024’s Speak No Evil is a remake of the 2022 Danish movie, but it makes several changes to the original film’s story, offering a completely different experience. Whenever Hollywood remakes a foreign film, it is common practice for the American version to largely repeat the same beats and decisions made in the successful original film. Changes are typically made on some level, such as altering names and locations, and Speak No Evil 2024 looks to be a standard remake at the start, repeating shots, scenes, and previous dialogue. That all changes as 2024’s Speak No Evil ending approaches.
There is the same general setup involved in the 2024 American remake compared to the 2022 Danish film. Speak No Evil‘s cast revolves around a family who befriends another on a European vacation and decides to visit the new friends at their home later in the year. However, they quickly realize that the family is not as pleasant as previously believed and uncover the dark truth about them. The broad similarities between 2024’s Speak No Evil and the original are evident, but there are also a wide range of notable changes and differences compared to Shudder’s Speak No Evil ending.
10 Ben & Louise Survive
They Are Stoned To Death In The Original Movie
2024 remake changes the fates of almost every major character, and Ben and Louise’s fates are no different. The new Speak No Evil ends with Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise (Mackenzie Davis) successfully surviving and escaping from the other family after fighting them in their own house. They do not make it out of the night completely unscathed, as Ben breaks his leg jumping off the roof and Louise is mentally scarred from killing a few people along the way.
|
2024 Speak No Evil Character |
2022 Speak No Evil Character |
|---|---|
|
Ben |
Bjørn |
|
Louise |
Louise |
|
Paddy |
Patrick |
|
Ciara |
Karin |
|
Ant |
Abel |
|
Agnes |
Agnes |
This is dramatically different from Ben and Louise’s fates in the original. In the 2022 film, Bjørn and Louise are brutally murdered by Patrick and Karin after their attempted escape fails. Patrick and Karin take Bjørn and Louise to an abandoned landfill and force them to strip naked and go down into it. As they stand together in the cold, Patrick and Karin begin throwing large stones and rocks at them, first hitting Louise in the head. Bjørn and Louise die from their injuries in the original film, whereas Ben and Louise manage to be survivors here.
9 Paddy & Ciara Die
The Killers Survive In The Original Movie
Reversing the fates of the main adult characters, 2024’s Speak No Evil changes the original by having Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) die. Ciara dies after Louise hits her on the head as she’s about to shoot at Ant, Ben, and Agnes, causing her to fall off the roof and die once she hits the ground. Paddy’s death is even darker, as he is left immobile on the ground after Agnes injected him with some medicine. While Ben opts not to shoot him, Ant kills Paddy by repeatedly smashing a brick into his face.
Related Does Speak No Evil Have A Post-Credits Scene?
2024’s Speak No Evil remakes the 2022 Danish movie with Blumhouse and James McAvoy, and here’s whether there is a post-credits scene teasing more.
This is again the complete opposite of the fate that Paddy and Ciara’s characters receive in the original. The 2022 Danish film makes Patrick and Karin victorious in their plan. They survive after killing Bjørn and Louise, and they are then able to start a new family. It’s an incredibly grim conclusion where the evil killers come out on top once again. But, the 2024 version of Speak No Evil goes a different direction by killing Paddy and Ciara.
8 Agnes Remains With Her Parents
She’s Taken By Patrick & Karin Originally
Image via Universal Pictures
Agnes gets a much better ending in Speak No Evil 2024 compared to the original thanks to a major difference. She plays a major role in the conclusion and ultimately winds up being the one to help defeat Paddy before he can enact his plan to groom her to replace Ciara. The end result is Agnes surviving, just as she did in the original, only this time she leaves the movie still with her parents.
The 2022 movie offered a darker future for Agnes as a result of what happened to Bjørn and Louise. She is taken away from them after Patrick and Karin cut out her tongue in the back of a car. The movie ends with Agnes riding in the backseat of Patrick and Karin’s car as they arrive at the vacation house again. She has become their new kid, replacing Abel, and she will seemingly be replaced in the near future after the next vacation.
7 Ant Is Saved By The Daltons
He Drowns In The Original Movie
Ant’s fate is also dramatically different in 2024’s Speak No Evil compared to the original. This is because Ant survives the movie instead of dying. Speak No Evil sets up a similar fate for Ant by revealing early on that he does not know how to swim, and it appears that he is going to die once Paddy tosses him into the pond as the Dalton family attempts to leave again. Luckily for Ant, Ben rushes to the pond and saves him. Ant then stays with the family through the film’s conclusion and goes home with them.
Related Why 2024’s Speak No Evil Reviews & Rotten Tomatoes Score Are Even Better Than The Original Movie
Despite initial skepticism about the 2024 Speak No Evil remake, the reviews and impressive Rotten Tomatoes score exceed those of the original movie.
2022’s Speak No Evil gives the Ant character a more abrupt and unexpected ending. Abel dies on the final night of the movie after Patrick drowns him in the hot tub because he won’t stop crying at night. Abel’s body is only found by Bjørn after he discovers the truth about Patrick and Karin’s life. This makes Abel’s death the final straw for Bjørn and what motivates him to take Louise and Agnes away to try and find safety.
6 Ant Exposes The Truth About Paddy & Ciara
The Son Repeatedly Attempts To Reveal The Dark Secret
It is clear in both versions of Speak No Evil that something is not right with Patrick/Paddy and Karin/Ciara, but how the truth is revealed to the characters and audiences is completely different. The 2024 remake makes Ant responsible for exposing the truth about his so-called parents. He repeatedly tries to tell Agnes about what Paddy and Ciara really do, but he is foiled at different turns. It’s not until he steals Paddy’s keys and takes Agnes to the secret room under the chicken coop that everything is revealed, leading Agnes to share the information with her parents.
Whereas the 2024 movie repeatedly teases the truth about Paddy and Ciara, the original film makes the reveal much more abrupt and shocking through Bjørn’s discovery. He finds Patrick’s trophy room in the middle of the night because the barn door is swinging open. Even then, Bjørn does not fully understand the extent of Patrick and Karin’s plans until they find them again. It makes the 2022 version much more surprising in its big twist, but 2024’s version was never going to be able to be as unexpected due to its nature as a remake.
5 Ben & Louise Have A Troubled Marriage
They Are Not A Perfectly Happy Family This Time
Ben and Louise’s marriage is another aspect of 2024’s Speak No Evil that is quite different from the original. The new version reveals various difficulties and troubles that Ben and Louise have. Louise resents Ben for moving the family to London and uprooting her life. Meanwhile, Ben doesn’t trust Louise because she was caught sexting the dad of another kid at Agnes’ school. They have gone to couple’s counseling and are trying to work through their issues, but it doesn’t always work.
The original Danish film shows Bjørn and Louise’s relationship in a different light. They appear to be a mostly happy couple who might not always see eye-to-eye, but they still enjoy being with the other. 2022’s Speak No Evil even shows the passion that remains in their marriage as they have sex one night while staying with Patrick and Karin. This is a stark contrast to the 2024 remake, as Louise mentions that Ben is lucky to get laid once a month.
4 Louise Is The One Who Decides To Visit Paddy & Ciara
She Is More Hesitant In The Original
The invitation from Paddy and Ciara for Ben, Louise, and Agnes to come visit them elicits a new reaction in 2024’s Speak No Evil compared to the original. Ben is the one to read the postcard this time around, and he seems interested in going, but also does not want to pressure Louise into going. Although she hesitates slightly at the suggestion of spending a weekend with people they barely know, Louise is ultimately the one who tells Ben that they should go.
This is very different from what happens in the original movie. When Bjørn and Louise get the postcard in the Danish film, they originally decide not to go. But, Bjørn’s interest in going continues to grow, leading him to bring the topic up at a dinner with another couple, putting Louise on the spot in public. The other couple suggests it would be a fun experience, and with Bjørn being more in favor of going, Louise gives in. This change is likely why Louise plays more of a heroic role in 2024’s remake.
3 Ciara Is One Of Paddy’s Victims
She’s Still Complicit In Both Versions
One of the biggest changes that comes in 2024’s Speak No Evil is Ciara’s suggested backstory with Paddy. In the third act, Ciara tells Louise that she is a victim in this situation too, suggesting that she was the first child Paddy ever took. Speak No Evil provides enough clues to suggest that she is telling the truth, even if it does not outright confirm her claim as accurate. While Ciara might still be complicit in helping Paddy’s plans come to fruition, this twist is wholly original to the remake.
In the Danish movie, there are no details provided about Karin and Patrick’s backstories, much less the suggestion that she was a victim all along. The movie does not give any possible reason to sympathize with Karin’s actions; instead, it treats her exactly the same way as Patrick. By potentially altering Ciara’s backstory in this fashion, the 2024 remake completely changes the dynamic she has with Paddy.
2 The Families & Setting Are Updated
The Remake Changes Some Basic Elements Too
In addition to the major changes that Speak No Evil makes to the Danish movie, there are also basic elements like where the families are from and the main setting that are changed. The 2024 version focuses on an American family who lives in London and an English family they meet on vacation, with a long weekend spent together in the countryside of England. The original movie focuses on Danish and Dutch couples, with the small house in the Netherlands serving as the main location of the film.
1 Speak No Evil’s Ending Location Is Different
It All Takes Place At The Same House
Another notable difference between the two versions of Speak No Evil is where the endings take place. The original film puts Bjørn, Louise, and Agnes in a car for the finale, leading to them getting stranded, found, and split apart. The difference is 2024’s Speak No Evil takes place entirely at the English farmhouse. Ben, Louise, and Agnes never manage to get away in the remake and spend the ending trying to survive in Paddy and Ciara’s house. It’s not until the killers are dead that the Dalton family and Ant get in a car to finally leave.
Speak No Evil (2024) 
4.0 2
Your Rating
5 stars4.5 stars4 stars3.5 stars3 star2.5 stars2 stars1.5 stars1 stars0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
RHorrorThriller
Director James Watkins Release Date September 13, 2024 Writers James Watkins Cast James McAvoy , Mackenzie Davis , Scoot McNairy , Alix West Lefler , Aisling Franciosi Runtime 110 Minutes