Movie Review

The horror genre is going to some interesting new places of late. With the recent critical and box office success of last year’s Get Out, the acceptance of last month’s intoxicating mind trip Annihilation, and now with A Quiet Place’s rousing world premier at Austin’s SXSW Festival, the genre is finally getting the respect and recognition it deserves. In other words, you proud horror hounds are no longer forced to enjoy your guilty pleasures from within the shadows.

Sure, some will grouse about the potential for the mainstream to water down a genre believed best enjoyed from within those shadows, and others certainly have a legitimate argument that these films aren’t even true horror films anyway. Regardless, the fact that a creature feature won a best picture Oscar this year can’t be denied. And if that accomplishment draws more attention, bigger names, and better films to the genre, then that can only mean good things, right?

In A Quiet Place, real-life Hollywood couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt play husband and wife Lee and Evelyn Abbottt and are parents to three children Regan (Millicent Simmond) Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Beau (Cade Woodward). We join them 89 days into some kind of worldwide cataclysmic event that has wiped out much of the world’s population and left hordes of mysterious creatures that roam the countryside, including the sprawling farm where the Abbott family has carved out a meager existence despite the always-lurking danger of being eaten by the creatures that resemble some kind of wicked cross between Predator and Cloverfield’s Clovie with multiple undulating mandibles and swift locomotion that dispatches a victim with little more than a blur.

 Adding to the armrest-gripping suspense is the fact that we don’t know what caused the apocalypse nor are the creatures explained. What we know comes from the pinned up newspaper clippings and crude whiteboard drawings in the Abbott basement that highlight what the family has discovered about the creatures; things like weaknesses, their numbers, and possible ways to avoid them. We also learn that the creatures hunt by sound, not sight, so absolute silence is not only expected, it is required, lest you disappear in a bloody mess as we see in some of the film’s early scenes.{googleads}

There is virtually no dialogue in the film and very little sound as the family has learned to communicate in silence via sign language. They patter about barefoot in sand and ash trails they’ve spread about to muffle footsteps. It is quite a unique experience in the theater as the on-screen silence rubs off onto fellow moviegoers. As if we’re all in this game of survival together, nary a word is spoken and even the crinkle of candy wrappers and rustling of popcorn is minimal. It is an awesome collective experience which is a bold testament to Krasinski’s (who also directs) decisions. The experience may be lost with home viewing, so if you get a chance to experience in the theater, take advantage of it.

Aside from its main conceit (which is far more than a mere gimmick), much of the film’s success and effectiveness comes from pure simplicity and refined elegance. It is a very simple premise in which the things we don’t see take on greater importance than those we do. Thrust is derived from our anticipation rather than from jump scares – there are some of those, but are kept to a minimum – and on-screen shocks. One particular scene involving a nail sticking out of a stairway is particularly effective; not from what happens, but from the anticipation of what MIGHT happen. And at a scant 90 minutes, the film never overstays its welcome. A Quiet Place is just all around very well done.

Though not particularly unique or original, A Quiet Place does its own thing and does it quite well. It is not particularly gory, but it is very much scary and certainly delivers the thrills. Though typically an afterthought in these type of films, A Quiet Place is very well acted from top to bottom. Even the kids hold their own, especially Simmonds who wowed us in last year’s sickeningly under-appreciated Wonderstruck.

Fans of the genre should be delighted with Krasinski’s B-movie handling of his film and the new attention he is sure to bring. A Quiet Place makes a whole lot of noise in the horror genre.

Film Details

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for terror and some bloody images.
Runtime: 90 mins
Director: John Krasinski
Writer: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck
Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds
Genre: Horror
Tagline: If they can hear you, they can hunt you.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Who are we if we can't protect them? we have to protect them."
Theatrical Distributor: Paramount | Pictures Blumhouse
Official Site:
Release Date: April 6, 2018
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: July 10, 2018.
Synopsis: A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound..

Blu-ray Review

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Available on Blu-ray - July 10, 2018
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD-50, 1 DVD); UV digital copy; iTunes digital copy; Digital copy; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Region-free playback

The AVC encoded 1080p transfer from Paramount is presented here with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The film is expertly shot and the color saturation provides minute detail puncturing, replicated here in great moments of detail, textures in the environment, and atmospheres on the surface. The mood is sharpened throughout the feature by the solid black levels thanks to the fact that it was shot on film. Fortunately, even costume threads are visible in this fine presentation. The transfer handles all the happenings expertly. Blacks are deep and colors, as mentioned early, are varied and supple.  The Blu-ray disc of A Quiet Place features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack that has been remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead.

Commentary:

None

Special Features:

Embrace your silent self when A Quiet Place arrives onto blu-ray this week.  Fans get a discussion of the movie focusing on the script, the location, and the silence.  A look at the editing of the movie and the film’s monster creations are also included.  A DVD copy of the film and a UV/iTunes digital copy code are included.

• Reading the Quiet: Behind the Scenes of A Quiet Place (15 min)
• The Sound of Darkness -- Editing Sound for A Quiet Place (12 min)
• A Reason for Silence -- The Visual Effects of A Quiet Place (8 min)