The Daltons Face-off Against Paddy, Played by James McAvoy, and his Reign of Terror in ‘Speak No Evil’

The Daltons try to survive as their dream vacation turns into a psychological nightmare in “Speak No Evil,” the latest thriller from Blumhouse. In the film, the contrast between the Dalton family and Paddy’s family sets the tone for the insidious horror that simmers and eventually gets unleashed.

The Daltons, an American family struggling with their life in England, have a chance meeting with a British family during a trip to Italy, and get invited to get away from it all on their rustic countryside farmhouse. The Daltons consist of Ben(Scoot McNairy), his wife Louise(Mackenzie Davis), and their daughter Agnes. Ben is stuck in an unfulfilling rut as his career was upended shortly after moving his whole family to London from the United States. He feels emasculated at the prospect of unemployment and not being able to provide for his family.

Louise Dalton, dragged to the opposite side of the ocean into a prospect that went nowhere, feels unhappy and anxious about the future of her family, which carries over to her relationship with her husband and daughter. She finds herself feeling disconnected from Ben, and her anxiety makes her overprotective with Agnes(Alix West Lefler), who feels the tension within the family as well. A smart pre-teen, she manages her tendency to worry with her comfort plushy, Hoppy, which Ben feels that she’s too old to be carrying around everywhere.