Speak No Evil
IFC Midnight | Release Date: September 9, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
78
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
IndieWireSusannah GruderJan 26, 2022
Speak No Evil is the most cunningly depraved horror film in years, offering a piercing commentary on the ways we accommodate others to the point of self-subjugation. Read full review
91
The PlaylistCharles BarfieldJan 26, 2022
Speak No Evil might not be a thrill-a-minute film, but it’s effective in a way that many horror movies just aren’t anymore. Watching it evokes the feeling of inching closer and closer to the end of a cliff; at any moment, you feel like you might still escape the situation until you eventually reach the point of no return. Read full review
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisSep 8, 2022
Gliding inexorably from squirmy to sinister to full-on shocking, this icy satire of middle-class mores, confidently directed by Christian Tafdrup, is utterly fearless in its mission to unsettle. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarSep 9, 2022
While the clues of impending horror emerge long before this episode of camaraderie—signaled by Sune Kølster’s unnerving orchestral score from the opening frames—nothing can fully prepare you for the appalling dark places “Speak No Evil” is headed to. Read full review
85
Film ThreatBobby LePireJan 26, 2022
Thanks to a smart screenplay, excellent, stylish direction, and an outstanding cast from top to bottom, the entire production will unnerve and shake up all watching. Read full review
83
The Film StageChristopher SchobertJan 26, 2022
Speak No Evil is riveting and upsetting in equal measure. And I never, ever want to see it again. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattJan 26, 2022
Pay no attention to the shades of late-night cable in the title; Speak No Evil is a lamentably generic name for a movie as stark and unsettling as Christian Tafdrup's queasy, inexorable thriller. Read full review
80
IGNMatt DonatoSep 15, 2022
Speak No Evil is a worthwhile test of wills that’s sure to dampen anyone’s day with a superbly excruciating tale of monsters in civilian clothing. Read full review
80
Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonSep 9, 2022
Speak No Evil shows viewers the dangers of not speaking up about discomforts for the sake of politeness, and it’s horrifyingly twisted. Read full review
80
Screen DailyWendy IdeJan 26, 2022
It’s a profoundly uncomfortable piece of filmmaking, a meticulously judged exercise in satirical sadism. But a question mark over the third act climax leaves the audience with a sense of doubt: the ’what’ of the situation is genuinely disturbing, but the ’why’ is more elusive, a niggling inconsistency which undermines some of the picture’s considerable impact. Read full review
80
VarietyDennis HarveyJan 26, 2022
The director shoots and cuts almost every scene so that the most innocuous action seems charged with the expectation that something awful is about to erupt, cranking viewer tension to an unpleasant degree. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 16, 2022
Tafdrup’s film plays as nightmarish to anyone with real sensitivity long before it turns truly sinister. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGeoff BerkshireSep 20, 2022
There’s more than a whiff of both Michael Haneke and Ruben Östlund to the proceedings, except the characters never emerge as fully as they do in the best of those filmmakers’ works. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyFeb 3, 2022
Strong performances from the four leads, plus the film’s unsettling visuals and crafty use of score, sound and strategic silence make it both a tough watch and impossible to look away from. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineMark HansonJan 25, 2022
Until its contrived conclusion, the film plays as a queasy satire of conditioned interpersonal behavior. Read full review
59
Paste MagazineJacob OllerJan 25, 2022
Those looking for bleak, slow horror and who are willing to suspend plenty of disbelief might want to check it out, but it won’t rock the worlds of the rest of us. Read full review
50
ColliderTherese LacsonApr 25, 2022
Tafdrup defangs his feature in the final act, choosing to forego the road less traveled, completely breaking up the tension of an otherwise uncomfortable, tension-filled story. Read full review
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