We often think of horror as loud. Revving chainsaws, blood-curdling screams and pulse-pounding scores are, after all, hallmarks of the genre. But those moments of cacophony wouldn’t be nearly as effective if not juxtaposed with eerie silence. It’s when everything goes quiet that the tension starts to build. A Quiet Place takes this principle to the extreme. Set in a world where humanity is menaced by mysterious creatures that hunt by sound, the film follows a family as they try to navigate their lives in silence. It’s a setup that makes for an effectively tense and unique viewing experience. As a horror film, it’s certainly not short on scares and likely will produce a white-knuckle grip on your armrest.
But A Quiet Place is more than hiding from otherworldly monsters and jump scares—although there’s plenty of that to go around. It’s a film that develops its stakes early, including the emotional ones. The imposed silence stands as a striking metaphor for the grief and guilt each family member struggles with, and the performances are all deeply emotive, anchored by John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as the parents. Krasinski also directs and proves himself adept at capturing both quiet, personal moments and tense action sequences—the film’s second half is essentially an extended set-piece reminiscent of Spielberg classics like Jaws and Jurassic Park.
Should you see it? Yes, it certainly will get your heart racing. —S.W.
Viewed at AMC Esquire 7
