10 Movies & Shows Similar to Speak No Evil (2022)

Description: Like 'Speak No Evil', 'Rosemary's Baby' explores the horror of realizing too late that people you trusted have sinister intentions. Both films use slow-building paranoia and the breakdown of social contracts to create tension. The theme of gaslighting and societal pressure to conform connects these two works across decades.

Fact: Mia Farrow's haircut in the film started a major fashion trend. Roman Polanski insisted on using real meat in the raw liver scene. The film was almost not released due to its controversial subject matter.

Description: This classic shares with 'Speak No Evil' the theme of an outsider drawn into a community with sinister intentions beneath a veneer of hospitality. Both films build tension through cultural clashes and the protagonist's growing realization that social norms don't apply. The shocking endings of both films leave audiences with similar feelings of dread and inevitability.

Fact: Christopher Lee worked for free on the film. The film was heavily edited before release, with some footage still missing. The ending was inspired by a real Scottish folk tradition.

Description: Both 'The Strangers' and 'Speak No Evil' feature ordinary people terrorized for seemingly no reason by antagonists who invade their personal space. The horror in both comes from the randomness of the violence and the victims' inability to understand why they're being targeted. Both films use the home invasion premise to explore deeper fears about vulnerability.

Fact: Inspired by real events including the Manson Family murders. The masks were chosen to be as impersonal as possible. Liv Tyler didn't meet the actors playing the intruders until their first scene together.

Description: Similar to 'Speak No Evil', 'The Babadook' explores the horror that can emerge from repressed emotions and family dysfunction. Both films use metaphorical monsters to represent real psychological trauma, and both feature protagonists who initially try to ignore or accommodate the threat rather than confront it directly.

Fact: The Babadook became an unlikely LGBTQ icon after the film's release. Director Jennifer Kent based the mother-son relationship on her own childhood. The pop-up book was created by a children's book illustrator over several months.

Description: This psychological thriller shares with 'Speak No Evil' the theme of past actions coming back to haunt characters, and the danger of being too polite to confront uncomfortable truths. Both films feature seemingly benign interactions that escalate into psychological torment, with the horror stemming from social dynamics rather than supernatural elements.

Fact: Joel Edgerton wrote, directed, and starred in the film. The film was shot in just 33 days. Jason Bateman's character was originally written as more sympathetic before being made darker.

Description: Both 'Get Out' and 'Speak No Evil' explore the horror of being trapped in a seemingly perfect environment that gradually reveals its true, menacing nature. They share themes of racial and cultural tension, though 'Get Out' approaches it from a more overtly political angle. Both films use social commentary as the foundation for their horror.

Fact: Jordan Peele considered rewriting the ending to be darker. The deer motif was inspired by a real incident where Peele hit a deer while driving. The film's sunken place concept came from Peele's meditation experiences.

Description: This film shares with 'Speak No Evil' a focus on moral dilemmas and the breakdown of social norms. Both feature families trapped in increasingly absurd and horrifying situations due to their inability to stand up to external pressures. The clinical, detached cinematography in both films creates a similar unsettling atmosphere.

Fact: Barry Keoghan improvised the scene where he licks Colin Farrell's wrist. The film's title references the Greek myth of Iphigenia. Director Yorgos Lanthimos required the actors to deliver their lines without emotion for most of the film.

Description: Like 'Speak No Evil', 'Us' deals with doppelgängers and the horror of confronting versions of oneself. Both films explore the idea of suppressed aspects of personality or culture resurfacing violently. The tension between surface politeness and underlying menace connects these two works strongly.

Fact: Lupita Nyong'o based the Red voice on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s spasmodic dysphonia. The film contains numerous references to 'The Goonies'. Jordan Peele wrote the script in about eight months, much faster than 'Get Out'.

Description: Similar to 'Speak No Evil', 'Hereditary' deals with family dynamics unraveling in the face of supernatural or psychological horror. Both films feature protagonists who ignore warning signs until it's too late, and both employ a creeping sense of dread rather than jump scares. The theme of inherited trauma connects strongly with 'Speak No Evil's exploration of generational patterns of behavior.

Fact: Toni Collette's scream when discovering a certain body was recorded separately and added in post-production. The miniature houses in the film were actually built by the art department, not CGI. Director Ari Aster originally conceived the film as a family tragedy before adding horror elements.

Description: Like 'Speak No Evil', 'Midsommar' explores the theme of cultural differences turning sinister, where seemingly hospitable hosts reveal darker intentions. Both films use slow-building tension and psychological horror to unsettle the audience, culminating in shocking, violent conclusions. The films also share a focus on the breakdown of relationships under extreme stress.

Fact: Director Ari Aster drew inspiration from a personal breakup for the film's emotional core. The flower dress worn by Florence Pugh in the finale weighed over 40 pounds. Many of the disturbing rituals depicted were based on actual Scandinavian folklore.