Speak No Evil ending explained: How does it differ from the original?

That’s because director James Watkins tweaked the ending to be more "electric", a decision that he has discussed exclusively with RadioTimes.com, and which you can read more about below.

So, how does Speak No Evil pan out for our heroes in this English-language remake, and how exactly does it differ from the original?

Read on to find out everything you need to know. But beware - major spoilers ahead.

Speak No Evil ending explained: Do Ben and Louise survive?

After meeting the almost unbearably extroverted Paddy (McAvoy) and his partner Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) on a trip to Italy, Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (McNairy) ignore his rather concerning behaviour to strike up a friendship.

This is particularly important for Ben, who has been having something of a crisis of masculinity after losing his job and finding himself generally down on his luck.

In the ever-confident Paddy, McAvoy’s character offers a glimpse of the good life - something apparently achievable if Ben just becomes a little more outgoing.

So, after having a nice time under the southern European sun, this freshly-formed friendship group makes plans to meet up again once the holiday is over, with Paddy inviting Ben, Louise and daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) to their barn in the Cotswolds.

Despite Paddy once again acting odd - forcing vegetarian Louise to eat some of his farm-raised meat and getting aggressive with his son, Ant (Dan Hough), on numerous occasions - Ben is adamant that it’s worth sticking around, perhaps in a bid to delay going back to his apparently drab day-to-day existence.

However, once things get too weird - i.e. the parents find their daughter sleeping in bed with Paddy, Ciara and Ant - Ben and Louise decide it’s all too much and try to make a break for it early the next morning.

Only, Agnes has forgotten her beloved teddy, and there’s simply no way she can live without it.

So, they reluctantly head back - and things get even weirder. Feeling betrayed by his newfound friends, Paddy begins to act increasingly erratically, delivering thinly-veiled threats and generally acting like he’s about to blow his fuse.

All the while, Ant – who is mute – has been trying to tell Agnes something important during their stay, but has been struggling as a result of not being able to speak verbally. Eventually, though, he manages to convince Agnes to head into the barn - after sneaking the keys off Paddy in a tense sequence.

Once Agnes sees what’s inside, she alerts her mother, who finds hunting equipment, cameras and a photobook filled with images of Paddy and Ciara smiling with other couples and their children - and eventually spots a picture of Ant, who is pictured with what appears to be his own parents, who Paddy has seemingly disposed of to keep Ant as his own son.

Unsurprisingly, Ben and Louise decide to run away at this point, and are about to leave in their car until they see Paddy push poor Ant into the lake, leaving him to drown.

Ben and Louise decide to save the kid, and what follows is a tense game of cat-and-mouse as Paddy and Ciara hunt our heroes down around the house, with a brief appearance from local landlord Mike (Kris Hitchen), who fancies joining in on the action.

While it’s not entirely clear throughout the film whether Ciara is being held there against her will or is an accomplice to the crimes, after pleading with Louise to spare her, she instantly reverts back to villain - and gets her comeuppance, with Ben and Louise seemingly unflinching in bringing about her demise. Guess she is a baddie, then.

Mike also ends up dead, meaning Paddy is left to finish the job as our heroes scramble their way around the house, missing rifle shots and jumping ungracefully off of roofs in a desperate scramble for safety.

Eventually, our heroes manage to kill off Paddy, before driving out of the residence to take themselves to safety, putting an end to the villain’s long-running torment of vulnerable families and rescuing Ant from his nightmare.

How does the Speak No Evil 2024 ending differ from the original?

The original Speak No Evil ends in a much more solemn manner, with the protagonists ending up either dead or kidnapped.

In a chilling final act, Patrick beats Bjørn (that film’s Ben) in a tussle, babysitter Muhajid outmuscles Louise and Agnes’s tongue is cut off by Karin (Ciara).

After Muhajid heads off with Agnes, Bjørn and Louise are dumped in a ditch and stoned to death by Patrick and Karin, who get away with their crimes, free to continue their sinister killing spree.

Of course, the 2024 remake closes with a finale fit for Hollywood, with a happy (or at least happier) ending, as well as a more high-octane final half an hour, with more spectacular set pieces than in the rather subdued original.

Speaking about switching the ending, director James Watkins exclusively told RadioTimes.com: "I love Christian’s movie, but I also thought there was an opportunity to take the themes of his movie and the set-up of it, but to slightly push it in a different direction.

"I wanted these characters to try, when faced with mortal danger, to find a way out - but they're pretty cack-handed about it, particularly Ben, who has followed this kind of weird, toxic-masculine mentor.

"I thought it was interesting for him to think he could be this kind of guy, and then when it comes down to it, he's a bit crap. And actually, his wife is better.

"I thought there's a real opportunity here. If Christian’s movie plays kind of like an acoustic [guitar], Mackenzie and McAvoy and McNairy are electric. And so I think they're different things, and I think it's great that they can both exist."

Speak No Evil is now showing in cinemas.

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