Most disturbing horror ever made with 'evil' twist added to Netflix

Netflix have added to their ever-growing catalogue of iconic horror films with the American adaptation of a film considered to have the most disturbing ending ever made, and it’s pretty unsettling in its own right.

Whilst if you ask me Netflix’s most disturbing content is their treasure trove of true crime documentaries, the streamer also has countless horror films that I would not recommend watching right before bed if you want to sleep well.

Between The Blair Witch Project, Creep, and Jennifer’s Body there is a great selection, but their newest horror addition not only features an iconic celebrity star in James McAvoy, but has already jumped to number one on the streamer’s rankings in the UK.

Called Speak No Evil, the 2024 film follows an American family who meet an English family whilst on holiday, making friends and eventually going to visit them in their rural estate.

The English parents have a young child who is mute and, after going to visit, the Americans slowly realise they are in far more danger then they had realised.

James McAvoy stars alongside Mackenzie Davis, Scott McNairy, and Aisling Franciosi in the American remake which received an impressive 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.

How is the American version different to the original?

The original and the American version both have a very similar evil twist to it, but differ wildly in the ending to them.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for both versions of Speak No Evil.

Both films feature two couples who have a child each, with the unsettling and creepy family having a son who is mute.

It is revealed later in the film however that their son is not theirs, and the family had planned to kill them, steal their child, and cut out their tongue so they cannot tell anyone.

In the American version the son, Ant, is able to tell them this and they work together to escape and save themselves, with Ant beating his father to death with a brick. Believe it or not, the original Danish version is even worse, with many considering it the most disturbing ending in film history.

The American version of Speak No Evil is worth a watch on Netflix, but the original has one of the most disturbing endings ever

Both versions of Speak No Evil are pretty great, but a tough watch (Universal Pictures)

In the American version, things are pretty f*cked up but ends on a rousing happy note. The Danish version is far, far darker.

In the original version the son, Abel, is found drowned in a pool shortly after the visiting family realise their hosts plan to kill them and steal their child.

Whilst they try and fight they are eventually kidnapped, taken to a remote ditch, forced to strip naked, and then are stoned to death. Their daughter then has her tongue cut out, with the host family escaping.

A fan on Reddit said the ending made them ‘nauseous’, whilst another posted: “I mean just wow…holy sh*t. I don’t exactly know how to articulate what this movie made me feel. The ending left me with some mixture of sadness and utter despair.”

Some, including the original director of the Danish film Christian Tafdrup, are not fans of the changes to the American version, but it is not universally hated like many remakes with big changes are.

One comment on Reddit says: “These movies scratch 2 separate itches for me. I actually liked them both. I’m happy the American one didn’t do a shot for shot remake of the 2022 version.”

Another said: “I actually liked the ending to the 2024 remake. It's not that I disliked the 2022 ending, but it's so bleak. I'm glad they changed it so they felt like two different films and not just rehashes.”

Speak No Evil is available to watch on Netflix now in the UK, whilst the 2022 original Speak No Evil is available to watch on Shudder.