wonderfully original and incredibly suspenseful

Rating: 9/10 (6 April 2018)

"A Quiet Place" (PG-13, 1:30) is a horror thriller directed, co-written and co-starring John Krasinski. The screenplay's other two writers are Bryan Woods and Scott Beck who came up with this very original story. In this claustrophobic dystopian tale, uneasily set only two years ahead of the film's release date, very deadly, presumably extraterrestrial creatures roam the countryside. Think the aliens from "Aliens", but a skinnier version - and with sharper claws. Oh, but these aliens are blind. They hunt by sound - with deadly effectiveness. Almost any noise naturally made by humans merely living and interacting with their environment brings these creatures running and often results in a quick and merciless demise.
As the film opens (with no back story), Lee Abbott (Krasinski) and his wife Evelyn (Krasinski's real-life wife, Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt) are already living the horror described above, on a farm, along with their children, Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe), who are all well acquainted with the precautions they must take to survive. They walk barefoot everywhere. They communicate with each other in sign language. The play board games with cloth game pieces. No. Noise. Allowed.
For Regan, this was already her world, actually being deaf. Lee works (silently, of course) in his basement trying to build a better hearing aide. He also sends Morse code messages over a radio, hoping to contact someone who can help his family. The only regular sign that anyone else in the area is alive are signal fires that appear at scattered points in the distance. It's a lonely, stressful existence, but the Abbotts are busying themselves with a family project. They are attempting to soundproof the cellar under their barn. You see, Evelyn is going to have a baby. (Yeah, let that one sink in for a minute.)
"A Quiet Place" is the most original horror thriller since "Get Out". The 2018 film may not carry with it the social significance of that Oscar winner from 2017, but it sure builds suspense. Tension is high from the first scene and is quickly supplemented by a deep pathos as this family fights to survive both emotionally and physically. Every errant sound is designed to make us wince, every plot point to make us cringe and every seemingly inescapable danger to put us on the edge of our seats. Great writing, acting and directing does all that and more. "A"