PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Very rarely do I get the opportunity to catch a horror film in theaters. My girlfriend is terrified of horror movies and refuses to watch them at home, let alone in theaters, and I lack the transportation to see them on my own. Last night, an impromptu hang out session with friends turned into us all deciding to go see the much-hyped A Quiet Place. Here are my thoughts.
A Quiet Place was directed by John Krasinski (The Office TV series) from a script he co-wrote with Brian Woods (The Bride Wore Blood 2006) and Scott Beck (Nightlight 2015). The film stars Krasinski, his wife, Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train 2016), Millicent Simmonds (Wonderstruck 2017) and Noah Jupe (Wonder 2017).
A Quiet Place’s Synopsis
A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.
For those of you who don’t know me, I want to make you aware that I tend to hate horror films that are extremely hyped up. I don’t know if it’s a matter of expecting too much or what, but rarely do I enjoy them. For instance, I didn’t really care much for It Follows, The Babadook or The Witch (though I was one of those people who loved It Comes At Night).
Thankfully, A Quiet Place didn’t fall victim to that fate. I absolutely adored A Quiet Place. Rather than go into details on the plot and all that, I figured I would just list the reasons why I loved the movie so much.
- The lack of dialogue: A Quiet Place has very little dialogue, yet through the use of sign language and body language, I was able to fall in love with this family and sympathize with their plight.
- The tension: The silence kept me on the edge of my seat for the duration of the film. When there was a loud noise, I was like, “Holy crap!” and I freaked out.
- The acting: A Quiet Place features a very small cast. In a film like that, a weak link can absolutely kill the film. Thankfully, there was not a single weakness to be found. Everyone does a wonderful job and perfectly conveys what they are feeling. If you are the type, like me, who emotionally invests yourself in the films you are watching, you will feel what they are feeling as well.
- Grief: In spite of being a damn good horror film, A Quiet Place nails it as an examination of grief, and how everyone processes and copes in vastly different ways.
- The creatures: I’ve heard some people say that the creatures felt like an afterthought. I disagree. They were the catalyst of the apocalypse, as well as the side effect of whatever caused them to be. Follow the rules, survive, and you would almost never know they were there. Screw up, and you’re dead. I don’t know about anyone else, but to me, the look of the creatures was the stuff of nightmares. Everything about them, from their look to the way they moved, was solidly unnerving.
Final Thoughts
A Quiet Place is a tense, character driven horror film that blew me away. The characters are likable, the creatures are creepy and the dread is constant. Do yourself a favor and check it out, preferably in theaters.
