James McAvoy is terrifyingly brilliant in Speak No Evil

Film review: Speak No Evil (15) - seen at The Light Cinema, Wisbech

Starring: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler and Dan Hough

Director: James Watkins Run time: One hour, 50 minutes

Many of us will have encountered ‘that’ holiday couple. The ones whose sole purpose of a vacation seems to be to make lifelong friends with another couple.

Well, imagine ‘that’ couple then invites you to their remote Devon farm and slowly terrorises the hell out of you. That’s what happens to American pair Ben and Louise Dalton and their daughter Agnes when they take up the invitation from Paddy and Ciara to spend a weekend with them and their mute son Dan.

As the weekend progresses, they realize that a dark side lies within the host family. But it’s just little things here and there. And could their own deteriorating marriage be somehow magnifying the problem?

The slow, tense build-up to the inevitably horrifying climax in this psychological thriller is superb, with McAvoy excellent as the larger-than-life Paddy and Franciosi impressive as his demure but equally sinister wife Ciara. The Scottish actor certainly proves you don’t need prosthetics to be scary - he’s a terrifying charmer.

Also, it’s refreshing to see the reserved, quieter couple played by Americans - Davis and McNairy - not adhering to the stuffy British stereotype.

The two youngsters put in impressive performances, vital to the overall plot, too here. Thirteen-year-olds Lefler and Hough are superb as the couples’ children, forming their own friendship while that of their parents dissolves.

Speak No Evil is superb from start to finish. Great actors, great pacing and great plot.

Rating: 9/10

By Jeremy Ransome