An unbearably tense 90 minutes with a real beating heart

Rating: 8/10 (7 July 2018)

Looking at his page on IMDb, former star of the American version of The Office John Krasinski has previously directed two features, neither of which I have seen or even heard of. It would seem like the third time's a charm, as his latest, the riveting horror A Quiet Place, is just about as accomplished and tightly-directed as you would expect from any seasoned veteran. Teaming up to co-star with his real-life wife Emily Blunt, Krasinski has crafted one of the most memorable and genuinely scary horror movies in recent memory, and one of the biggest sleeper hits of 2018. Taking place in the now-familiar territory of a post-apocalyptic landscape, A Quiet Place shares more in common tonally with John Hillcoat's The Road than, say, George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road.
It's the near-future and it's apparent that great misfortune has fallen upon the Earth's inhabitants. The Abbot family, consisting of father Lee (Krasinski), mother Evelyn (Blunt), and their three children Regan (Millicent Simmonds), Marcus (Noah Jupe) and youngest Beau (Cade Woodward), are trying desperately to survive, foraging for supplies, food and whatever else that may prove useful in an abandoned library. On their journey home, an accident occurs which devastates the family and reveals to us precisely what has befallen our planet, and why the Abbot's were so keen to make as little noise as possible. They are surrounded by spider-legged creatures with the strength to break through steel with ease and the speed to reach its intended victim in a split second. The hideous creatures are completely blind, but have hearing so powerful that they are able to pin-point a sound with uncanny accuracy, and reach the source with lightning speed.
After this mood-setting opening scene, we wisely jump forward in time over a year. The Abbots have seemingly taken every precaution imaginable: they walk barefoot on sand-covered floors, eat their meals from leave rather than breakable plates, and only communicate with sign-language. Krasinski, along with co-writers Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, have fun with laying out traps and red-herrings for their characters to possibly fall prey of, like an exposed nail near the bottom of a flight of wooden stairs, or the fact that Evelyn is heavily pregnant. But it's careful not to fall into the traps of genre cliche and predictability, as the Abbots are apparently a step ahead of their tormentors. Lee spends his spare time tracking the creatures' paths and calculating their numbers, as well searching for a way to possibly kill them. He also tries to build a working hearing aid for his deaf daughter, after many failed attempts. With Regan also feeling responsible for the tragedy at the film's opening, her relationship with her father is strained.
A Quiet Place is as much about both the fragility and strength of the family unit as it is about unseen monsters in the dark. Krasinski and Blunt themselves have children together, and no doubt fed their own experiences, fears and difficulties into their characters, albeit placing them in a more extreme and hostile environment. This also helps us to connect with the characters, fearing for their safety when that inevitable damning sound is made, and feeling genuine concern at the idea of a parent failing to protect their child. The action is intensified, and A Quiet Place really earns it scares. Every movement is a jump-shock waiting to happen, but it's scary for the build-up and the knowledge of what comes after. The performances are great all round, with Millicent Simmonds - who is deaf in real life - making a real impact, surely cementing her status as one of the most promising young actors around. Krasinski has a done an impressive job of dodging being known forever as the guy from The Office and proving himself to be a strong dramatic actor, but he'll be best remembered here for his skills behind the camera. A Quiet Place turns what could have been a routine jump-shocker into an unbearably tense 90 minutes with a real beating heart.