Speak No Evil (2024)

Speak No Evil is the strongest case ever made for skipping the follow-up visit with people you met on vacation. Ben and Louise Dalton, Americans living in London, hit it off with a loud British couple in Italy and accept a weekend at their farmhouse in Devon. James McAvoy plays the host, Paddy, all big laughs and pushy hospitality, frightening because he never stops being charming. Mackenzie Davis gives Louise a simmering unease, and Scoot McNairy’s Ben would rather swallow anything than cause a scene. The first hour is the best part: small insults, a dinner that curdles, a silent boy named Ant whom his parents treat badly. When the Daltons finally try to leave, their daughter’s stuffed animal, Hoppy, drags them back. The last act trades that dread for a standard fight through the house. It holds an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and made $76.8 million worldwide on a reported $15M. A 6.9 because McAvoy makes politeness feel dangerous. $1,208 says the next vacation friend who says you should totally visit gets a very polite no.

What works: James McAvoy is magnetic and unsettling, and the slow pile-up of awkward moments in the first hour is genuinely nerve-racking.

What doesn’t: The final act swaps the creeping dread for a familiar chase through a dark house, and it loses some of its bite.

Who it’s for: Thriller fans who love a slow burn, and anyone who has ever stayed somewhere longer than they wanted just to be polite.