Speak No Evil and 4 More Hollywood Remakes of European Horror Movies
Maybe it's time to watch the original versions of these flicks?
The horror film Speak No Evil, a remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name, has been released. And while director James Watkins' new work, starring James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis, is taking the box office by storm, we recall other, no less notable, attempts by Hollywood to reimagine European horror films.
1. Funny Games, 2007
Released in 1997, the experimental horror film Funny Games by Austrian director Michael Haneke caused a huge wave of controversy in society at the time. The movie, uncompromising in its cruelty, was able to enter the list of the best horror films of the 20th century and even create a new generation of horror filmmakers.
The movie revolves around a family that arrives at a country house where two young men enter under the guise of guests.
Exactly ten years later, Haneke came to Hollywood and made an auto-remake of the film – with new locations and actors – but an identical script.
2. Speak No Evil, 2024
In 2022, the Danish psychological thriller Speak No Evil stole the hearts of the Sundance Film Festival audience, and a year later it was announced that a Hollywood remake was in development.
The Dalton family – Ben, Louise and their daughter Agnes – are vacationing at an Italian resort. There they meet a British couple, Paddy and Ciara, and their mute son, Ant. When they learn that Ben and Louise have moved to London from the US, they invite them to stay with them in a private home in the English countryside.
Paradoxically, the remake is both a very bad and a brilliant adaptation. It completely fails to convey the essence of the original source: it forgets the subtexts and the social criticism. But at the same time, it shows how this plot can be transferred to Hollywood soil: it turns a creepy thriller into a comedy slasher detached from reality.
3. Quarantine, 2008
The Spanish mockumentary horror film REC has become something of a national treasure. With a modest budget of 1.5 million euros, the film has grossed more than 30 million dollars at the international box office.
The movie revolves around an ambitious reporter, Angela, who finds herself at the epicenter of a zombie virus. The secret of REC's popularity is that it was released at a surprisingly good time – in the early 2000s, at the height of the found footage genre.
The remake titled Quarantine, which differs from the original only in location and title, takes up the baton with dignity but adds nothing fundamentally new to the concept.
4. The Wicker Man, 2006
One of the most curious examples of a Hollywood adaptation of a European horror film is without a doubt The Wicker Man. The original British version is a textbook example of horror that is difficult to call horror. It is a sublime, incredibly beautiful movie with Celtic motifs and folk music.
The main character, Police Sergeant Howie, arrives on a remote island to investigate the case of a missing teenage girl, but ends up falling into a deadly trap himself.
The remake, released in 2006, was mercilessly panned by critics, but with time it was rethought and accepted by audiences. In fact, the director of the new Wicker Man, Neil LaBute, actually made a remake, not a frame-by-frame copy of the original. His folk horror, a bit more mainstream, moves away from the highbrow and contrasts the masculine and feminine, clinging to the viewer's empathy with the help of the irresistible Nicolas Cage.
5. Goodnight Mommy, 2022
The Austrian horror film Goodnight Mommy by directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala was once nominated for an Oscar, but never won the coveted award. However, it was enough to attract the attention of Hollywood producers, who immediately wanted to make their own version.
The plot of the movie revolves around the strained relationship between a mother and her twin sons. The situation escalates after the woman undergoes extensive facial plastic surgery.
The original horror film masterfully plays on the viewer's nerves, deconstructing the image of a seemingly perfectly happy family. The final twist at the end is not only shocking, but also helps to realize the duality of the events that take place throughout the film.
The Hollywood version, directed by Matt Sobel, blindly follows the plot of its Austrian predecessor, forgetting to add either nervousness or psychological insight, which is why all the charm of Goodnight Mommy is simply lost.