Original Speak No Evil director slams James McAvoy remake for completely changing ‘traumatising’ ending

The director of the original Speak No Evil has criticised the remake starring James McAvoy for ‘completely changing’ the controversial ending.

The remake, which is in cinemas now, is directed by James Watkins and is an interpretation of the Danish modern horror classic form 2022.

The story of the remake follows an American family whose idyllic trip is ruined by a British family whose estate they are staying at.

Creepiness and attempted murder ensues, as I’m sure you’d already guessed, culminating in a grand showdown.

The original follows fairly similar beats initially, but with a near completely different tone and ending.

The director of the original, Christian Tafdrup, has fired a shot at the remake however – and clearly isn’t pleased with the changes made to the ending.

Speaking to Danish radio show Kulturen, he said: “The biggest difference is that he [Watkins] has rewritten the entire ending.

“I don’t know what it is about Americans, but they are brought up for a heroic tale, where the good must win over the bad, and this version of the film cultivates that.”

Spoilers ahead

An appropriate reaction to the ending (Nordisk Film)

The ending to the original is, to put it lightly, traumatising.

After discovering the creepy family’s young son has been killed, the protagonists flee, before being chased down by their hosts.

The parents are found, forced to strip naked and led into a ditch, where they are stoned to death.

Their child, Agnes, has her tongue cut out and replaces the hosts previous child, who had received the same treatment prior to his death.

In the American remake, the tongue-less child does not die, warning the visitors of the perils of the host family.

They then all work together to fight and kill the hosts in order to escape in a rousing ending.

Tafrdup said of the ending: “I found that they have made a wildly entertaining, effective, well-acted version of my original film. But it might not be that dangerous either.

“When I saw the film yesterday, I could see that they would never succeed with a film where the characters are stoned to death, as they do in our film. These people must fight for their family and defeat the bad guys.

“It is a kind of happy ending, and it is so deep in their culture that America must be able to handle it all.

“People were completely over-enthusiastic and clapped, laughed and whooped. It was like being at a rock concert.

“People have left my film traumatised.”