Original director of “Speak No Evil” criticizes remake — World of Reel

Christian Tafdrup, the Danish director of the original film “Speak No Evil,” is not particularly happy about the remake, especially that Hollywood rewrote the “entire ending.”

Tafdrup told the Danish radio show Cultures that he was not impressed with the film and analyzed several moments, including the last few minutes.

“I don't know what's wrong with Americans, but they're raised on heroic stories where good must triumph over evil, and this version of the film promotes that,” complained Tafdrup. He went on to say that the changes made to the film made it “less dangerous” and cleaner for American consumption.

He added: “When I saw the film yesterday, I realized that they would never succeed with a film in which the characters are stoned to death, like in our film. These people [in the U.S. version] must fight for their family and defeat the villains […] It's a kind of happy ending and it's so deeply ingrained in their culture that America has to be able to deal with it.”

Comparing audience reactions, Tafdrup said he witnessed audiences leaving the remake “completely over-enthusiastic, clapping, laughing and cheering. It was like a rock concert,” while recalling how “people… left my film traumatized.”

The US version has received decent reviews (63 on MC And 88% RH), and practically recouped its entire budget on its opening weekend.

Tafdrup's original 2022 film hadn't even been in theaters for a year when Blumhouse snapped up the US rights and quickly put together a remake. If you haven't seen Tafdrup's original, it's certainly one of the most disturbing horror films of recent years. I have no desire to watch it again, but it will definitely stay with you. It had one of the most depressing endings to a horror film I've ever seen.