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What Is Speak No Evil Rated, and Why?
A reimagining of the 2022 Danish film of the same name, Speak No Evil hits the big screen Friday, September 13.
Summer may be coming to an end, but there's one last vacation to enjoy — the vacation from Hell in Speak No Evil (in theaters everywhere next month). The latest cinematic collaboration between Universal Pictures and Blumhouse, the reimagining of the 2022 Danish thriller was written and directed by McMafia co-creator, James Watkins.
The story revolves around the Dalton family — wife Louise (Mackenzie Davis), husband Ben (Scott McNairy), and 11-year-old daughter, Agnes (Alix West Lefler) — who are unwittingly lured into a nightmarish getaway by the charismatic Paddy (James McAvoy), his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their mute son Ant (newcomer Dan Hough). As the weekend progresses, the Daltons come to realize their new friends are not at all what they appear to be, but due to implicit social agreements, they can't just call their hosts insane and walk away.
So what is the nightmare vacation rated?
What is Speak No Evil rated?
Speak No Evil landed an R-rating for "some strong violence, language, some sexual content and brief drug use," per FilmRatings.
“I loved the sly and relatable conceit: people on holiday questioning the direction of their lives and befriending a couple who they think might hold the answers,” Watkins says in the film's official production notes. “The film really hooked me on a thematic level: its exploration of how modern society shackles us with rules and how we struggle to negotiate them.”
The director continues: "I started my career with a horror-thriller called Eden Lake. You’d maybe call it a 'social horror,' exploring intergenerational conflict, class fears and cycles of violence in society. I wanted to get back to that intersection of genre and ideas, and this story afforded a chance to have that sort of intelligent fun."
New Speak No Evil featurette explains what the film is all about
In a brand-new featurette, the core cast members explain that the film is all about "social and psychological darkness." All throughout the film, the Daltons are "constantly negotiating their instincts" with a desire to uphold social niceties. "You feel like you're trapped in a cage the whole time," McAvoy teases. "Get ready for some fun, fear, and some psychological games."
How to Watch Speak No Evil
Speak No Evil will exclusively open in theaters everywhere Friday, September 13. Click here for tickets!
Jason Blum and Paul Ritchie produced the movie, with Beatriz Sequeira, Jacob Jarek (producer of the original), and Christian Tafdrup (director and co-writer on the original) serving as executive producers.
