Christian Tafdrup, the Danish director of the original “Speak No Evil” isn’t too happy about the remake, specifically how Hollywood rewrote the “entire ending.”
Tafdrup told the Danish radio show Kulturen that he was unimpressed with the film, and went on to dissect multiple moments, including the final few minutes.
“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,” Tafdrup complained. He went on to say that the changes that were made to the film made it feel “less dangerous,” and more sanitized for American consumption.
He added, “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 [in the U.S. version] 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.”
Comparing audience reactions, Tafdrup said he witnessed audiences leaving the remake “who were completely over-enthusiastic and clapped, laughed and whooped. It was like being at a rock concert” while he recalled how “people…left my film traumatized.”
The U.S. version has gotten decent reviews (63 on MC and 88% RT), and practically made its entire budget back on opening weekend.
Tafdrup’s original 2022 film wasn’t even out for a year when Blumhouse snatched up the U.S. rights and quickly set up a remake for it. If you haven’t seen Tafdrup’s original, it’s certainly one of the most disturbing horror films in recent years. I have no desire to revisit it, but it certainly stays etched in your memory. It featured one of the most depressing endings to a horror film that I had ever seen.
