The following contains spoilers for Speak No Evil, now playing in theaters
Speak No Evil’sreveal about how Ant lost his ability to speak highlights the dark edges of the James McAvoy-led horror film. A remake of a 2022 Danish film of the same name,Speak No Evilfocuses on Ben, Louise, and their daughter Agnes after they make an unexpected friendship with another family on vacation. Accepting an invitation to their remote home in the countryside, Ben and Louise are initially intrigued but wary of Paddy, Ciara, and their son Ant. However, as the film progresses, it becomes apparent from the largely mute Ant that something is very wrong.
The reason Ant just can’t tell the rest ofSpeak No Evil’s charactersthe truth is thathe’s physically unable to, leading to a grim reveal as the film builds to a violent finale. It’s a dark turn that’s reflective of the original film. However, it also helps set up theending ofSpeak No Evil, highlighting the film’s approach to violence in a different manner than the 2022 movie of the same name. Here’s why Ant can’t speak in Speak No Evil, and how the film plays out that reveal.
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Paddy & Ciara Lie About The Reason Ant Can’t Speak
The Lie About Ant Is One Of The Most Insidiously Effective Parts Of Paddy’s Plan
Paddy and Ciara lie about Ant’s condition inSpeak No Evilare part of their efforts tolure unsuspecting families into their trap. Initially, Paddy and Ciara introduce their “son” as someone who has aglossia congenita. Aglossia congenita is a real congenital disorder where someone is born either without a tongue or a smaller tongue than usual. Paddy and Ciara explain that Ant’s silence is a result of this, as he has trouble communicating with other people. It’s initially how Paddy and Ciara are able to appeal to Ben and Louise, with the four encouraging Ant to play with Agnes.
This lie has multiple layers within the film’s narrative, beyond preventing Ant from revealing the truth about the pair. It endears Paddy and Ciara to Ben and Louise, and Paddy’s apparent exact knowledge of the condition helps bolster his claims that he’s a doctor. Paddy mentions Ant’s condition and the other couple’s reaction to it in the climax after he’s revealed his true intentions, noting that they must have been so proud of themselves for befriending a couple with a “disabled” child. It’s a very integral part of their scheme and one with a brutal origin.
Ant Can’t Speak Because Paddy & Ciara Cut Out His Tongue
Audiences Don’t See What Happened To Ant, But He Lets Us Know Exactly What Happened
Ant’s inability to speak prevents him from warning others about Paddy and Ciara’s true intentions, which is eventually revealed to be a big part of the reason Paddy and Ciara cut it out in the first place. After finally discovering a way to communicate with Agnes, Ant draws attention to his open mouth and mimes a pair of scissors cutting through it. This is a gruesome turn of events and is consistent with theoriginal Danish version ofSpeak No Evil. In that movie, Ant was Abel and had gone through a similar experience, seemingly for the same reason.
Ant
Dan Hough
Notably,the originalSpeak No Evilactually showed one such incident of tongue cutting, albeit not with Ant’s equivalent Abel. The Danish version has a far darker ending, with the villainous couple of Patrick and Karin succeeding in their mission. This includes capturing Agnes and turning her into their new “child,” with the pair even cutting off her tongue during the climax of that movie. Paddy and Ciara threaten to do the same in the 2024 version ofSpeak No Evil, but the more defiant and ultimately gruesomely triumphant ending of the newer film doesn’t go through with it.
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Why Paddy & Ciara Cut Out Ant’s Tongue
There’s Some Pretty Gruesome Reasons Why Paddy And Ciara Did What They Do
Paddy and Ciara cut out Ant’s tongue as part of their sadistic plan to lure people to their home and then kill them, with a veritable trophy room of their victims existing in a hidden cellar. The chief reason they cut out Ant’s tongue is to prevent the child from warning future victims.This is something they seemingly did long before they met Ant, whose family was simply the most recent one to encounter Paddy and Ciara before Ben and Louise did. The attack also has a powerful psychological effect, cementing their victory over their victims before they dispatch them.
This was more pronounced in the original film(where they actually went through with cutting off Agnes' tongue), but is hinted at in the third act ofSpeak No Evilby having Paddy mockingly tease Ben and Louise about his plans and why it’s important to sedate the children beforehand. More than anything, Paddy and Ciara’s actions underscore their brutality, making Ant’s eventual bloody revenge all the more narratively satisfying.Speak No Evil’s reveal about Ant is one of the best examples of the film transforming Paddy and Ciara into true monsters.
Speak No Evil
Cast
Speak No Evil is a 2024 horror-thriller film by writer-director James Watkins. A remake of the 2022 movie Speak No Evil follows a family who head to the country for a much-needed vacation - but the situation quickly deteriorates, thrusting them into a horrific nightmare.
