The horror genre can generally be quite hit or miss. A lot are scary enough for an entertaining ride, coasting on jump scares and lazy plotting, many are completely terrible, but some are absolute gems that rise above the aim of purely scaring their audience, to provide an engrossing and satisfying experience (and, of course, terrifying). A Quiet Place falls into the latter category. It is a high-concept monster movie that brings you into a world where any character doing anything will already have you on the edge of your seat, but John Krasinski and co won’t settle for that, instead ratcheting up the tension to unbearable levels to provide a truly terrifying and nerve-shredding time at the cinema.
Set in 2020, we enter a world with barely any sense of civilization left, as the world has been ravaged by a mysterious species of monster that hunts purely by sound. The film holds a narrow focus as we follow just one family, consisting of (co-writer, director and star) Krasinski as the father, Emily Blunt as the pregnant mother (something that adds another undercurrent of fear, with the imminent scream-inducing pain of childbirth, and then uncontrollable cries of a newborn), with Noah Jupe as their son and Millicent Simmonds as their deaf daughter (her disability adding another layer of fear – she cannot hear if there is a noise to run from, nor can she hear if the monsters are right behind her). We are brought into their life of survival, where any sound could be lethal.
It is a premise that sets you up for an incredibly tense time, but it is managed so brilliantly that every ounce of opportunity is squeezed out to make it startingly effective. The film’s set up builds the world brilliantly. Exposition is provided through glimpses at scattered newspapers and scrawlings on a whiteboard in a way that feels fairly organic (occasionally not incredibly subtle, but necessary) and maintains an air of mystery. It also means there is no dialogue shoehorned in for the audience’s sake, something especially pertinent in a world where dialogue is so bare and pared down to only the essentials, as any utterance or hand gesture is another potentially lethal risk of sound. Combined with a horrifying prologue, the effects of which are continuously felt throughout, the stakes are set terrifyingly high, making way for the horrors to come.
From the beginning, you flinch at every sound, constantly on edge as the characters are, as the film steadily builds a tension that constantly simmers, and frequently rises to boiling point. There are some unbelievably tense set pieces, one in particular, surrounding the birth of the new baby, is one of the tensest sequences I’ve ever seen in cinema. There are a fair few, effective, jump scares thrown in, but the film isn’t overly reliant on these. Not content with the fact that even stepping on the wrong floorboard could be lethal, other small, but in this world deadly, hazards, such as a nail sticking out of the stairs, add another layer of tension to an atmosphere that is already unbearable. We are also only given glimpses of the monsters from the beginning, allowing the unknown and our imaginations to scare us further.
What elevates the film even further is the fact that it is underpinned by real emotion, forged from the familial relationships that we are really able to invest in. This is a family survival drama underneath a horror movie surface, where the relatable fears held in parent-child relationships take centre stage, making us care about the characters as people, and worry about them as a unit. In a rare feat for a horror film, it carries a multitude of tender moments, allowing you to invest in its protagonists as people, which may even make you tear up. It is almost a slice of life film; this isn’t about saving the world or dying trying, but it is a tale of long-term survival. We are privy to the capable family’s methods of soundproofing, and marking out which parts of the floor to step on, also taking away the annoying trope in a lot of horror movies where they descend into the ridiculous due to the stupidity of the characters. These are smart and capable people, making them feel real and relatable. They are also rarely referred to by name, crafting the dread filled feeling that this could be any family.
The cast are all terrific, carrying the film with, for the most part, as just the four of them. Krasinski is believable as the caring father, exuding a sense of repressed fear for his family, as well as a sense of practicality rooted in love. Blunt is remarkable as the mother, her fear so believable; she pulls you into her character’s situation to a horrifying degree. Jupe is strong as the fearful yet trusting son, but Simmonds is the standout, communicating such incredibly raw and complex emotions without every look. All of the actors communicate such varied emotions with very little dialogue, communicating their utter terror without making a sound, yet never falling into a one-note performance of fear. Each character is also given things to do; none are forgotten about or forced to be the helpless protected, a nice change.
As would be expected for a great film with this premise, the sound design is remarkable. It is an aspect of filmmaking that usually goes unnoticed, but with a film whose whole plot hinges on it, it is really brought to the fore. With a film this quiet, you’ll have to hope you’ll get a considerate cinema audience, however, you might find that the film doe the work for you, engrossing and terrifying its viewers so much, no one dares rustle their bag of popcorn.
The film’s ending may feel a little abrupt, and the film a tad short, but its ending makes sense, defying your expectations of how the film might have played out in a less realist, more ‘Hollywood’ fashion. Also, your nerves probably couldn’t have handled much more.
This is a taut, lean and terrifying picture. Full of originality, and executed to the highest degree of quality, A Quiet Place seems destined to be a classic. It might take you a little while to relax after watching – an hour and a half of baited breath, tensed muscles and absolute terror may leave you a little on edge.
