The Horror Movie saga: A Quiet Place

The popularity of this movie made me suspect it wasn’t an out and out horror movie. I find the pure ones are generally rated lower and less mainstream. This is one of the rare occasions where you are committed to wanting to watch a film based solely on hearing about the plot (genuinely no pun intended). It is also really cool to see talents like John Krasinski dabble between genres of acting and also excel at directing.

The opening of the film was a highlight for me, the calmness and confusing revelation of the post-apocalyptic world where the enemy was nowhere to be seen. The music, that was somewhat buoyant and optimistic, followed swiftly by the very harsh reality of what cruel environment they were getting by in. Once again, the plots continue to centre around one singular parameter, and in this one, it was silence. No sound was to be made, no lapse in concentration and absolutely no talking. The film totalled 25 lines of voiced dialogue throughout, instead opting for sign language and subtitles. Something that really surprised me, was how much that would expose me to noise-related jump scares.

I can honestly say I’ve never felt as much second-hand stress watching any film, this was down to the main problematic development that happened, but also down to Emily Blunt’s incredible acting. The most harrowing scene, involving a bathtub, in the act was allegedly done in a single take (don’t blame her). Joking aside though, her emotions portrayed in response to monsters that hadn’t yet been digitally created were masterful.

My only real criticism of the film is that it was a little bit short, which led to a lot of build-up being done at 2x speed and not much time between action scenes to soak in what had happened. Having said that, it seems impractical to ask for something to be longer because it wasn’t how the production was envisioned.

For the first time I see fit to tailor a recommendation for readers. Please don’t watch this if you’ve just completed a frustrating day at work. I would reserve films like this for people who have had a fairly dull day and need some excitement. But for the lack of time between scenes of great tension, this would receive very high marks, however, my experience and how I remember it is the only way I can rate it authentically.

Rating: 7.5/10