A tense, suspenseful ride that shows just how extraordinary the horror genre can be.

Rating: 10/10 (13 April 2018)

During a widespread extra-terrestrial invasion, mankind has been vastly exterminated by fast, hideous creatures that use their hyper efficient sense of hearing to track their prey. Navigating their way through the post-apocalyptic landscape in the year 2020 is the Abbott family, who seek safety in a deadly silent world ravaged by monsters. Silence is the key to survival, as noise of any kind can attract danger. Although blind, the creatures are a brutal force to be reckoned with, with their weaknesses as unknown as their origins. Communicating mostly through sign language (dialogue is at an absolute minimum here), the Abbott's adapt and learn to live in the new world, understanding that they must be silent every day at all times. If Jordan Peele proved anything with Get Out (2017), it's that prominently comedic players can have a great eye for horror. Krasinski, mostly known for his role in the American version of The Office (2005-2013), is the latest to debut with a tight, effective horror/thriller movie, collaborating with wife Emily Blunt who joins him as his on-screen spouse, and a heavily pregnant one at that.
Running at a brisk 90 minutes, A Quiet Place is a tense, absorbing movie centring on survival and grief. Suffering a loss at the beginning of the film, the Abbott family struggle to express their grief in a world that demands silence. Screaming in frustration and lashing out isn't an option here, resulting in feelings and emotions being tightly bottled up and repressed. Krasinski sure knows how to engage his audience, as there were instances in which I found myself holding my breath during the more tension filled sequences, with every small outburst of noise resulting in me throwing my hand over my mouth and breathing as quietly as possible. Krasinski takes his time getting to the truly riveting stuff, allowing the first act to follow a straight up slow burn structure before throwing the audience into the heart of the terror when all hell breaks loose. Whilst the creature design doesn't look too different from other monsters in creature films from the past, the unnamed species still looks fantastic up close when it is finally revealed in full, and hardcore monster fans may draw comparisons from the Future Predator of ITV's long forgotten Primeval (2007-2011) and the monster from Cloverfield (2008).
A Quiet Place is a terrific piece of work with great performances all round, great suspense and a couple of wince inducing moments thrown in for good measure. It's edge of your seat stuff that focuses completely on its characters whilst making easy work of building dramatic tension throughout. If you only see one horror film this year, make it this one.