A Quiet Place, directed by John Krasinski, feels like a lot like 2018’s version of Get Out.
A smart horror movie with brilliant setup and payoffs.
Set in a post apocalyptic world where monsters that look like the Demogorgon from Stranger Things hunt humans who make any sound.
The Abbott family has learned to survive by being quiet though, most likely due to the deaf daughter of the family, Regan, played by Millicent Simmonds.
Right from the get-go, A Quiet Place is filled to the brim with tension.
The fact that the slightest sound could mean certain death for the characters is set up brilliantly in the opening minutes and really sets the stage for the pure, adrenaline fueled terror that is to follow.
This terror is further amplified by how much you come to care for the Abbott family, which is a success in of itself because they mostly talk through sign language.
The father, Lee, played by Krasinski himself, is especially likeable and so was his pregnant wife, Evelyn, played by Emily Blunt, who is actually Kransinski’s wife (although why their characters decided to have a baby in a world where any sound means an immanent and painful death is beyond me).
I also liked Regan and the other child, Marcus, played by Noah Jupe.
Coming to care about these characters over the course of the film really made it scarier because I feared for their safety.
This was proven for me when I found myself crying near the end of the film, you will know what scene I am talking about when you see it.
However, even though this film was a terrifying and intense ride, its scare factor was dulled by one thing.
The constant use of jump scares.
Jump scares can work for some films, like with IT last year, but A Quiet Place did not need them.
A Quiet Place uses sound brilliantly so it would have sense and been more unsettling had there not been a resounding boom of noise every time one of the monsters appeared.
Even worse, a lot of these were false jump scares where nothing bad was happening.
Jump scares are fine in some instances but false jump scares never are.
No one is impressed by them and I counted at least four instances of them.
It really is a shame because without the jump scares A Quiet Place would have been a five star film for me.
It is a non-stop, intense thrill ride with likeable characters and brilliant set ups and payoffs.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 