Speak No Evil - Why Literature Is More Dangerous Than Horror

Speak No Evil is a slow-paced movie but it leaves a very strong psychological impact. If you like psychological horror that relies on tension and small details instead of traditional shocks you will really like it. But if you are waiting for fast action or clear answers you may find it disappointing. For me it is one of the movies that I will not be able to forget easily.

This movie is one of the movie that caused me real tension and made me feel uncomfortable throughout the viewing. The story seems simple at first, a Danish family gets to know a Dutch family on vacation, and then they are invited to spend the weekend with them at their house. Up until this point, everything is normal, but from the moment they arrive home, you feel that there is something wrong, but you cannot pinpoint what exactly.

The most brilliant thing about this movie is that it does not use traditional horror methods, there are no monsters or bloody scenes at first, but it relies on feeling uncomfortable. Everything happens in a very calm and realistic way, which makes you feel more psychological horror. The way the Dutch family deals is strange, their actions are uncomfortable but they don't do anything directly that makes you think they are dangerous, which makes you tense all the time and waiting for something to happen.

The acting was excellent, and the actors were able to convey the feelings of fear and suspicion in a very natural way. The Danish family tries to be polite and not disturb their hosts even when they feel uncomfortable and this reflects how people sometimes ignore their sense of danger just because they don't want to be rude. This is the point that the movie plays on, how the fear of embarrassment can be more dangerous than any clear threat.

The ending was shocking and harsh, and certainly not for everyone. The movie is not trying to give you answers or please you it simply tells you: Not everything has to have a meaning, evil sometimes happens just because it exists. This ending stayed with me after the movie ended, and made me think about the situations we put ourselves in just to not be rude.

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