An American family heads to Italy for vacation and ends up hitting it off with a British woman who invites them to spend a weekend at her beautiful countryside estate. It seems like the perfect plan, but things quickly go wrong, and what begins as a dream escape soon turns into a complete nightmare.

The film is actually a remake of a Danish movie by Christian Tafdrup, produced by Blumhouse, famous for their top-tier horror. It’s a wild ride, starting off with some dark comedy and then diving straight into full-on horror.

The original movie had Danish and Dutch families, but this version switches things up with American and British families. James Watkins did the adaptation and added his own twist while keeping that same tension-filled vibe from the first flick. It’s interesting because you can watch either version first and still get hooked on both!

Anyway, the story kicks off in Italy where Paddy—a super outgoing British guy—crosses paths with Ben from the US. Now Ben seems more reserved and proper compared to Paddy’s in-your-face attitude. Their interactions set the stage for how things unravel during the shared getaway—which let’s just say, doesn’t go as planned for these two families!
So there’s this movie set in Tuscany, where they throw in a funny nod to the original film, complete with a little jab at some Danish tourists. As it kicks off, we see these two families that couldn’t be more different from each other. The English family looks solid and healthy on the outside. But James Watkins—the director who once made ‘Eden Lake,’ another “relaxing” weekend horror flick—sneakily plants seeds of doubt to keep things interesting. Meanwhile, you can tell right away that the American family is falling apart.

The whole plot sort of hinges on watching one family crumble while the other sticks together. It’s been done before, but that’s okay because what’s really cool here is even though you pretty much know from early on that people aren’t who they seem; the story unfolds slowly but surely, revealing how different everyone truly is.

Both families get their fair share of attention thanks to a great cast: For the Americans, you’ve got Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy as Mr. and Mrs. Dalton with their 11-year-old daughter Agnes played by Alix West Lefler. On the British side, there’s James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi playing Paddy and Ciara along with their mysterious silent son Ant (Dan Hough). This time around, the younger characters are given a lot more focus compared to the original Danish version.

And then there’s Ben Dalton—the husband…
Okay, so this film is about two main characters: one’s super shy and timid, and the other is bold and kind of a leader. Their relationship is really interesting— the shy one seems almost obsessed with his stronger friend. James McAvoy’s performance here is pretty wild; he’s all animated, like he’s playing every character he’s ever done at once, which brings a bit of silliness but works because it keeps up the strong, clashing personalities in the movie.

Now, there’s this layer of social satire going on where you’ve got these American and British stereotypes bumping heads. The Americans are presented as all polite and highbrow while the Brits are more relaxed and genuine.

In the second part of the movie (and let’s not even start on how intense it gets later!), we move from sunny Italy—think Vespas and pasta—to gloomy Devon in Cornwall. That’s where the English family hosts their American counterparts who roll in from London using—you guessed it—their environmentally friendly Tesla. The English family’s farm looks pretty run-down and messy, totally opposite to what you’d expect from their polished guests.

The vibe feels homely yet oddly unsettling at this farm, bringing that tense energy similar to Sam Peckinpah’s “Straw Dogs,” but here, what’s troubling doesn’t come from outside threats.