A masterwork of terror
John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place has undeniably achieved what many have been waiting years for – an original horror piece that has a really compelling story. In this age of dwindling originality and creativity, flooded with remakes, sequels and spin-offs, this film stands up as the one we’ve really been waiting for, and it’s such a rewarding experience.
In a post-apocalyptic American town, a small family (with Krasinski playing the lead role, alongside his real-life wife, Emily Blunt) shield themselves from merciless monsters who prey on anyone they can hear, compelling the family to communicate only using sign language. The pace of the story as it unfolds is very easygoing and doesn’t rush into anything at an unfairly speedy rate, but it certainly doesn’t take its time as the atmosphere quickly grows sinister and unsettling. In this aspect, the quality of the film’s scare factor is something that hasn’t been done in a long time in contemporary horror movies, where each and every terrifying moment is justified and is significant, it isn’t cheap or an afterthought of any kind.
The film’s primary focus on using sign language and featuring only minutes of actual verbal dialogue is a really interesting approach to this genre and lends itself to providing the film with a lot of authenticity that you really wouldn’t expect with this kind of film, where superpowered monsters are running around murdering anyone they can find. The realism that this evokes is where the story really hits home and gives a subtle insight into a small-town American family drama, very reminiscent of Best Picture winner Ordinary People (1980). For this, Krasinski is certainly worthy of praise.
The release of this film in what has been an arguably cold climate for original horror films over the past few years is sure to be one of cinema’s highlights for this year, this film has a premise that is simple, relatable, bold and genius all at the same time, and should Krasinski direct another horror film in the future, it’s sure to be a success. Go and see this movie!