I am not sure where this new trend of comedy artists directing horror films came from, but it absolutely needs to continue. First we have Jordan Peele directing the Oscar-winning Get Out and now we have The Office's John Krasinski in his first directing role. A Quiet Place is an exceptional horror film that utilizes something that everyone takes for granted: silence. In this world, every little breath and every little move you make is carefully planned and one wrong move can get you killed. This tactic is brilliant for this film and creates an environment that will certainly turn you into a curled-up ball of sweat.
The most intense element that made this film a masterpiece was the use of silence. The entire film, save for a few lines of dialogue underneath the waterfall, was nearly silent and the only thing the audience could hear was background noise and minor sound effects. Communication throughout the entire film was limited to sign language, which was also utilized very well. The silence builds anxiety constantly through the whole thing, which was an amazing directing choice. Even though this is Krasinski's first film, one would think that he had been directing for years. Every step the characters took brought so much emotion, especially in one particular scene with Emily Blunt's character Evelyn. The nail that was sticking out of the stair step caused so many troubles for her and seeing her foot glide on to the nail was painful, even for me. Her amazing acting also brought out the pure agony in that scene and was so powerful. The performances in this movie were astounding as well, even though it was a limited, family-oriented cast. The chemistry between John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe was incredible and I even began to think they were actually John and Emily's children. The best performed role was Regan, played by Simmonds. She is an actually deaf actress playing a deaf character, and this representation makes me extremely happy. It is impressive that the entire cast had to learn sign language and working with Simmonds must have been an eye-opening experience.
Writing in this film is another of the strongest parts as the story is very well-written and engaging. It provided so much character development to each individual family member, even though we never learn their names. One of the strongest writing choices in this film that physically made my jaw drop was the opening scene. The shots inside the pharmacy were great in terms of world (and audio) building, but near the bridge is what shocked me the most. This scene was the most prevalent in the trailers, but I was not expecting for the youngest boy to be killed in the first ten minutes of the movie. This was a strong choice and absolutely drew my attention as well as my anxiety. The other great part of the writing was Krasinski's character's (Lee) death scene. Bringing the motif of exclusion full-circle, I got teary-eyed when he signaled "I love you. I've always loved you" to his daughter. His acting was incredible and his scream brought out so much emotion that really rounds out his amazing performance. My only problem with the writing was the fact that the baby was born during this supposed apocalypse. My main question is who in their right mind would decide to have a child when the smallest of noises attracts these terrifying death monsters? Even though the baby served as a great plot device for some intense scenes, I can't help but to think why? The last part of this film that annoyed me were the monsters. This film was originally supposed to be a part of the Cloverfield universe, but even though that idea was scrapped, the influence can still be seen in the design of the monsters. They looked exactly like miniature versions of Clover from the 2008 film. I also did not like how much they were shown. As I've said before, it is better for a horror film to leave the monsters up to the audience's imagination instead of showing what they look like. Even though it was not a huge problem, I could have done without seeing so much of the Stranger Things-esque demogorgon ripoffs.
A Quiet Place is an incredibly terrifying film that uses a new method to create tension. With amazing directing and a talented cast, this movie has cemented its place as one of the best modern horror films. I would strongly recommend this film as not just a horror movie, but an exceptional one that is sure to satisfy fans of any genre.
My Rating: ★★★★½
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