A Quiet Place
(Paramount Pictures)
By Lucas Allen
The classic mantra in horror movies is what you don’t see is certainly scarier than what you do. Films like “Cat People” “Jaws” and “Alien” succeeded in keeping the title monster restrained by creating fear and tension through different sounds. Now comes “A Quiet Place,” which continues the tradition while giving a new generation of horror fans something to fear from the unknown. There are loud noises are aplenty, so be sure to be on guard.
In the near post-apocalyptic future, Earth was invaded and ravaged by aliens who attack using sound from their advanced hearing. The story follows the Abbott family, who are surviving on their own with the help of the sign language skills that they already had because their eldest daughter Regan (Millicent Simmons) is deaf. After a tragedy, struggling parents Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and Lee (John Krasinski) do what they can for their remaining children, Regan and little brother Marcus (Noah Jupe). They manage to live in an isolated farming area, where they soundproofed their home and fish for food from a nearby river.
Evelyn, who is eight months pregnant, is trying with her husband to figure out how to shelter their newborn from the monsters. However, fear and paranoia is putting a strain on the family dynamic to the point where the kids start to have different feelings about the situation. Not surprisingly, their survival skills are put to the test when they have to get through the night that’ll change everything.
Krasinski co-wrote and directed the film, which shows how multi-talented he can be beyond his comedic work on the TV show “The Office.” He tries his hand at making a genre film on a modest budget and did a great job following his own instinct when building a scary story from the ground up. The movie also follows the human perspective of a post-apocalyptic future, which helps bring relatable characters to the screen with good realism. There is some melodrama, but the unique family dynamic makes it feel refreshing to watch.
As a scary movie, it delivers more intense moments than the recent “Split” and “Get Out” that’ll certainly surprise you. In fact, it helps when it restrains itself from revealing these strange creatures until much later in the movie. When you do see bits and pieces of them all the way through, they’re certainly scary enough looking that they may give you nightmares for weeks. Honestly, these were the kind of aliens that could’ve belonged in Steven Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds.”
The small cast puts a lot of heart and emotion into their performances. It’s interesting to see real-life married Blunt and Krasinski commit well to their performances of a husband and wife fighting the odds. The pair is top-notch together, especially during the more dramatic and terrifying scenes. Both the kid actors are also very good, expressing themselves vividly through every scene they’re in.
“A Quiet Place” shows what a good horror film, done the right way, can be like. Jump scares and loud noises are perfectly placed and spread out, so it doesn’t feel gimmicky. Future horror directors should use this film as a teaching tool.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for terror and some bloody images)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.5 Stars (Out of Four)
