A Quiet Place: Movie Review

Most of us would probably recognize John Krasinski as Jim from the US version of The Office, a docustyle sitcom, or as a hunk of American military muscle from his recent role in '13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi'. But what we would not associate with him is horror, and until recently, neither would he. Now in 2018, John makes a triple treat debut to the genre as he directs, writes and stars in - 'A Quiet Place'.

The premise is simple yet brilliant - our world being overrun by a species that attacks sound. But the movie follows a traditional scope of the genre by focussing on a small group of people, one family to be precise and their struggle for survival. Now, if your life depends on how quiet you can live, move, work and all other unavoidable functions, the biggest task would be handling small kids in such a situation and the main characters of this film, the Abbots, have three.

I'll admit, I missed the introductory five minutes of the film, but they had somehow figured out a technique of using some form of white powder that would mute their footsteps and avoid the kind of creaks and cracks that would alert the monsters who slice wildly at any source of sound that they can. The Abbots were heading to a farmland for a sustainable habitat while the world worked on how to defeat the monsters. On their way back from a supply trip to the nearest city, their youngest found a battery operated toy and snuck it into her little bag unbeknownst to her dad (played by John Krasinski), her mom (Emily Blunt) or her elder brother (Noah Jupe). Only the eldest daughter (played by Millicent Simmonds) spots this but lets it slide She also happens to be deaf and mute, which is okay in a world where nobody can risk talking, but that also means she can't hear when a monster might be lurking nearby.

In the opening sequence, we see the youngest switch on the noisy toy out of boredom on their long walk home and within seconds get mauled by a monster right in front of the rest of the Abbots...but silence prevails, for any expression of the grief, even a whimper might make you the next one to get sliced down. The film cuts to a few hundred days later and mommy Abbot is pregnant and close to delivery, while the narrative explores the dynamics of raising a family in such eerily hostile conditions where serenity is not an idea but a means to survive. The film is as much a story about family and just how far parents will go to protect their own, as much it is a truly scary horror flick.

Apart from sign language and ambient sounds, there is no dialogue in the movie till about the 30-minute mark. By this point, the audience too has their ears tuned in to listen for the smallest sounds and any sudden loudness had us flinch in our seats too. The scare factor here appealed to a basic sense where silence or noise, neither felt safe. The chill in my bones clung to me for the rest of my day and I would say that this horror movie holds the exquisite trait of multiple viewings. Not for the scary monsters and jump scares, but for the emotional family story as well as the sensory experience. 

There were a couple of typical American solutions to certain problems that felt a bit dumb for how clever the rest of the plot was, particularly the ingenuity of the Abbots, but definitely one of the best horror genre films I have ever watched. I'd rate this one 8.5 out of 10 sticks of cotton candy.

*Also, I have a personal request for those planning to watch this movie in the cinema. Do not and don't let your movie buddy buy any noisy snacks like popcorn or nachos for this one, or you'll be ruining the experience for yourself and others as well. Thank you.