A QUIET PLACE – Review

After the lights went down in the theater and the names of the production studios passed by, the theater goes quiet. The audience knows what to expect given the title and trailers for A QUIET PLACE. However, that quietness on the audience’s part doesn’t last long. Candy boxes shake. Phones ring. Phones silently buzz. Watches chirp. Even a baby cries – yes, an infant was in the theater with us. It’s an orchestra of simple sounds that might not have made much of an impact in any other movie, but being hyper-aware of each isolated noise amplified my fear for the family on screen even more.

A QUIET PLACE uses a simple premise to deliver intense fear. A family struggles to survive in silence at an isolated farmhouse while unknown creatures wait to make their move based on their heightened sense of sound. But with this simple premise, John Krasinski (who serves as one of the lead actors, writer, and director) is able to still deliver compelling characters and emotional drama that goes beyond the B-movie horror setup.

As you would expect, sound is an essential element to the film. Muffled sounds, slight whispers, the sounds of nature, and Marco Beltrami’s moody score are all carefully mixed together so that you often forget that you are watching a mainly dialogue-free film for the most part. On the other end of the spectrum, there are several items or setpieces where the fear of possible sound leaves you gripping the armrest. In typical Hitchcock fashion, children’s toys and exposed nails are shown with a knowing wink to the audience as we wait with bated breath for when they will come into play later.

Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, and John Krasinski’s script is also filled with several tender moments that never feel cloying. Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, and Millicent Simmonds (a deaf actress who becomes the heart of the film) round out the family in peril. One particular highlight is when Emily Blunt comes downstairs to check on her husband in his workshop, which leads to a brief moment of dancing to Neil Young on a shared set of headphones. Each one is given room to make an impact on the story so that we actually care about each when the terror strikes.

Even though many of the trailers present the film more as a family drama, it’s definitely not afraid to run straight into horror territory. Krasinski shows an effective hand guiding these intense scenes. There are several sequences that feel instantly iconic, but the one that shows off Krasinski’s skill the most is the centerpiece “bathtub scene.” He stitches together three separate character’s actions so precisely, layering the tension with every carefully composed shot and movement. It’s a thrilling sequence in a film that easily has at least five memorable horror setpieces – many horror films would kill to have more than one.

For the most part, A QUIET PLACE hides its monsters for the better half of the film. Out of focus shots and slight movements into frame add just enough suspense without showing them in all their ghastly glory. While the final act borders on silly at times, the majority of the film is so nerve-racking that you sort of roll with it when they have a standoff-of-sorts with the creature at the end. In the end, you’re going to remember the film more for its depiction of familial love and sacrifice and its pulse-racing moments than the actual creatures. Krasinski shows you can have both a sincere family drama and a sincere monster movie and roll them into one simple and scary package.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

A QUIET PLACE opens everywhere April 6th