Stanley Kubrick once said, “Everything has already been done. Every story has been told, every scene has been shot. It’s our job to do it one better.” That’s why the new horror film ‘A Quiet Place’ is so good. It uses a standard trope, in this case alien creatures and gives it a fresh take. The twist is that the creatures have super sensitive hearing and will attack you if you make too much noise. When you think about how important sound is to a movie, it’s simply brilliant. John Krasinski wrote and directed it. He’s come a long way from his days on the hit TV show ‘The Office.’ He’s now being taken seriously as a bonafide filmmaker and it doesn’t hurt that he is married to the talented Emily Blunt who delivers a powerhouse performance. “Shhh.” ‘A Quiet Place’ is the best horror film of the year.
“Who are we if we can’t protect them?” This question is important when we get to know the Abbott family. With a daughter who is deaf (Millicent Simmonds), they know how to communicate in sign language. This is just one of the innovative survival skills the family uses to live quietly on their farm. When you think about their predicament, it’s staggering how much noise there is in our daily lives. To muffle their steps, the family even walks barefoot into town. It’s the eerie silence that makes you feel nervous. You will even notice audience members making too much noise chomping down on their popcorn. We don’t know the backstory about these aliens. Why are they here? It doesn’t matter how they got here. What matters is whether this family can survive.
The family eats a fish dinner without utensils on clanking plates and enjoys a Neil Young song using Earpods. Blunt’s character even tutors her son on long division giving him praise in soft whispers. Don’t even think about giving your kids battery operated toys. The noise will trigger the aliens to maul you. When Krasinski takes his son on a fishing trip and they bond together under a waterfall, it makes us care about the family. We want them to survive. He even raises the stakes even higher when we find out his wife is pregnant. Think about the noise of childbirth! Why would they have another baby in this living hell? It seems crazy but having a baby is just a part of evolution by natural selection. Krasinski is good as a father struggling to protect his family. It is actually Blunt’s character as the nurturing mother that has the strength and fortitude to overcome incredible odds. Without giving away any spoilers, the bathtub scene is spectacular.
The film draws on a lot of other horror films like ‘The Birds,’ ‘Alien’ and ‘War of the Worlds.’ The creatures are blind, hungry and make a creepy clicking sound when they stalk you. When the family hides from them, we are right there with them hoping they don’t get found. The acting is top-notch when you consider how they have to rely on facial expressions. Simmonds is particularly good at showing hurt, anger and fear without voicing a single word. She was the best thing out of last year’s ‘Wonderstruck’ and her performance in ‘A Quiet Place’ just solidifies her talent. The cinematography by Charlotte Bruus Christensen uses vibrant colors and faded tones to enhance the impending doom the creatures bring to the picturesque countryside. Most of the movie is shot on a rural farm. It’s the perfect location that acts as a fortress for the family trying to survive against these predators.
‘A Quiet Place’ is a great example of how to tell a story visually. It makes silence chilling. There are so many innovative devices used to amplify the tension. They walk around barefoot. They use sign language. The aliens make a weird clicking sound as they approach. Mom is pregnant. Babies cry. Kids like to play with noisy toys. If you stay quiet, you stay alive. It’s such a simple premise that works so well in a monster movie. When you go see ‘A Quiet Place,’ please remember to eat your popcorn with your mouth closed. Complete silence is absolutely key to enjoy this taut horror thriller.
