Speak No Evil
The Zone ReviewThere's a moment at the end of David Fincher's Girl With The Dragon Tattoo where Mikael Blomkvist has figured out who the serial killer is. He's hanging outside the serial killer's house, but then the serial killer notices him and invites Blomkvist into his house. Blomkvist doesn't want to say no because it would be awkward but as a result, Blomkvist ends up being tied up in the serial killer's torture dungeon.
The serial killer then asks Blomkvist: "Why don’t people trust their instincts? They sense something’s wrong - someone’s walking too close behind them - yet they don’t cross the street. You knew something was wrong - you even knew what it was - but you returned to the house. Did I force you? Did I grab you and drag you in? I just offered you a drink. You’d never think the fear of offending could be stronger than the fear of pain - but you know what? It is. They always come willingly."
Speak No Evil (both the original and the remake) is a movie-length version of this scene.
We, as well as the characters, stick around in an attempt to politely accept the increasingly bizarre and erratic behavior of their hosts. Despite clear red flags, our irrationality to avoid causing a scene keeps us locked in this spiraling nightmare of a vacation.
Danish Version - 70 minutes of cringe-inducing scenarios and then 20 minutes of overwhelming torture porn.
American version - Funnier than it is scary without sliding into "horror comedy”.