Horror is coming back in a big way and it's about time. After years of remakes, torture flicks, and mediocre original efforts, the horror genre has seemingly come back for another high. Last year's 'IT' adaptation may not be an original film, but it was so well done and by far one of the best Stephen King films that it didn't matter much in the end as it ended up becoming one of the highest grossing films of all time. This past year also saw two Academy Awards go to 'Get Out' and 'The Shape of Water' and with 'A Quiet Place' we are looking at yet another potential awards surprise come 2019. Directed by John Krasinski and starring both him and real life wife Emily Blunt it tells the tale of a family living out on their farm after some horrific apocalyptic event. We don't ever really find out what exactly happened, but what it boils down to is monsters. Monsters that can only hear their victims and so we cut back to the family, living in silence, eating food on leaves and with no utensils, speaking through sign language, and even playing Monopoly with soft poof balls.
I know what many thought at first as I did as well: how exactly can you keep an audience engaged in a horror film with little to no background, almost no audible dialogue (or dialogue in general), and a slow, methodical pace? Well you do it like 'A Quiet Place' has done, with strong performances from the cast, stunning cinematography and visual effects, and a tense, blood-curdling score from the 'Scream' series composer Marco Beltrami. Krasinski shows his talents right away as the opening scene is one of the most unexpected, with a strong plot point that will leave you wondering just how far they'll go. We then just go from scene to scene with the tension and suspense rarely lifting which kept leaving me almost with heart problems by the end of its surprisingly short running time. The cast is excellent in this film, showing everything in their physical performances. The eyes especially give such strong emotions that you wouldn't be able to see in other films as much. A big plus goes to the young actress Millicent Simmonds who is in actuality deaf. She is the strongest character and the biggest part of the overall story and she pulls it off so well. She is a great girl and I hope to see her in more things.
The film even throws you some curve balls here and there, with something as simple as a rusty nail or a game of Monopoly becoming horror inducing sequences that will leave you panicking in your chair. A big issue many seem to have involves the mother character being pregnant during the events of the film as if it was an ignorant decision but I feel it has some strong symbolism in the overall narrative. The family just adjusts to life and continues to live it as best they can despite the very dangerous threat. I think it shows a positive outlook on the future and humanity despite the horrors that have happened throughout the story's world. What I did have issues with are very minor at best with the first being the creatures themselves. I know that the film isn't about them really and they aren't trying to hide them or slowly reveal them throughout but their design is a little lackluster. They are a mix between an alien creature and a Licker from 'Resident Evil' and really wondering where they could be at any moment was far more sinister and tense than physically seeing them.
My final real gripe is the previously mentioned score by Baltrami, which repeats similar tunes a few too many times but it works for the most part in the context of the film. I also don't enjoy the idea of the ending setting up something down the line because that's exactly what killed horror movies for a good part of a decade. More original material or at least something we haven't seen in a while is all I ask. 'A Quiet Place' is everything good you have heard about it and is one of the best films you'll see in 2018. It's classic horror at its very finest, with strong talent in front of and behind the camera. Check this one out for sure.
9.5/10
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