182. A Quiet Place; movie review

A QUIET PLACE
Cert 15
90 mins
BBFC advice: Contains sustained threat

Mrs W doesn't enjoy horrors, so most of the time I watch them on my own - therefore, it says much for John Krasinski's A Quiet Place that she not only put herself through it but marked it 8/10.
This is down to several factors but mainly its originality, its sustained impact and that blood and gore is not overdone.
Indeed, A Quiet Place is an attack on the mind more than on the eyes.
It stars Krasinski, his off-screen and on-screen wife Emily Blunt,  Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe as a family who are trying to fend off what is presumed to be alien monsters.
It transpires that the latter are blind but have incredibly sensitive hearing. Thus, the family have to be silent at all times or accept the deadly consequences.
Keeping schtum sounds easier than it is. Imagine being a parent trying to discipline young children into never making a noise.
And then there are the simple emotions which prompt screams or shouts as involuntarily responses.
This is Krasinski's first feature and it is mightily well constructed.
When I first heard about it, I wondered how scary a movie about monsters could really be to someone who has seen so many movies.
Well, it had me tingling in wary anticipation throughout. I kid you not - the intensity lasts from the very beginning until its end.
Aside of the inclusion of a real husband and wife, its clever casting includes Simmonds, a young deaf actress whose character cannot hear the dangers which lurk.
It is not only a smart move because Simmonds is excellent but also because it gives other deaf actors hope of roles in mainstream movies.
But what I really liked about A Quiet Place is that its resolutions are neither straightforward nor twee. Too often disaster movies are predictable from the start - Krasinski's film is not and, for that and much more, he deserves great credit.

Reasons to watch: A riveting and very different horror
Reasons to avoid: If you have a heart condition

Laughs: None
Jumps: Five
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 9/10

Director quote - John Krasinski: "This movie is extremely scary and so emotional. It is a really tense experience."


The big question - What makes a horror film work better than others?

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