Spoilers would be gone so fast.

This one was a challenge. There’s a sub-genre in horror that revels in making you feel uneasy and uncomfortable until the reveal. This is a prime example of the kind of movie which means to upset you until the actual horror comes in. It’s horror that makes you cringe until it crosses the line into becoming disturbing. This film is not meant to be enjoyed but I can appreciate how finely it toes the line.

(Credit: Shudder)

Speak No Evil (2022) was directed by Christian Tafdrup who wrote it with Mafs Tafdrup. A Danish family on holiday makes friends with a Dutch couple and their quiet son. Bjørn (Morten Burian) and Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch) receive an invitation from the very amicable Patrick (Fedja van Huêt) and Karin (Karina Smulders). They decide to join them in their home in the Dutch countryside, despite the growing feeling that something is wrong. Specially when it comes to the way they treat their son Abel (Marius Damslev), who has a condition that prevents him from talking.

This is not a feature that I enjoyed watching, but it is not meant to be enjoyed. The filmmakers have fashioned this story to keep you squirming in your seat. It is psychological horror of a make that I have personally branded cringe horror. It starts normally setting idyllic views to scary background music and then plays the long game of the slow burn. The reveal, when it happens is psychologically crippling and that’s when it decides to go for shock and awe at the end.

Recommended only if you are inclined to this kind of niche horror, the one that fills you with discomfort until it shocks you at the very end. But if this is not your flavour, and it certainly it wasn’t mine, it’s really hard to watch something you don’t enjoy. The only way for me was to appreciate the craft that went into it and recognize it will find an appreciative audience. Worth only a watch for the lovers of this particular sub-genre.

That will do for now.