‘A Quiet Place’ Review: One of the Best Modern Horror Movies

Jim Halpert directing a horror movie? I did not see this coming.

A few days ago, news broke that A Quiet Place Part II has been pushed back yet again, leaving millions, including myself, devastated. Paramount postponed the film a third time, and now it will be released on September 17, 2021.

To ease the pain, I decided to re-watch A Quiet Place. If you still haven’t seen this movie, please do so immediately.

The 2018 thriller takes place in an apocalyptic universe in which blind creatures with impeccable hearing have invaded the world. As a result, most of humanity has been wiped out. Those that are still alive, including the Abbott family, must go on with their lives in complete silence to avoid these frightening monsters. Anything is possible, but Lee (John Krasinski) and Evelyn (Emily Blunt) will make every effort to protect their children and battle against the horrors of their world.

The universally acclaimed thriller was written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, with rewrites by the film’s director John Krasinski, who also stars alongside his wife, Emily Blunt. The couple’s on-screen children, Regan, Marcus, and Beau, are portrayed by Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, and Cade Woodward.

The first time I saw this film was in the movie theater — boy, was that theater quiet! With barely any dialogue or sound, I was stuck listening to the person next to me scarfing down on his popcorn. Thankfully about 20 minutes into the film, the person took a break that lasted for the rest of the film. Anyway, this is still one of my favorite theater experiences to date, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Overall, A Quiet Place is one of the best suspenseful horror films of our generation. The original concept is unlike anything seen before, which makes it even better. Rather than following in the footsteps of poorly made horror flicks with awful visuals and cheap jump-scares, A Quiet Place made its mark in the horror genre.

When it comes down to it, the story revolves around family and parents devoting their lives to protecting their children. I found the portrayal of each character staggering, especially Regan. In the film, Regan believes that her father Lee doesn’t love her. He spends most of his time with her brother Marcus, teaching him survival tactics. I found her character to be authentic — her emotions were raw. Unfortunately, some can relate to her reasonings. When a parent invests their energy into one child, the other may question if they are wanted.

Another aspect I enjoyed in this film was the fear of the unknown. The family has little control over the outcome of a situation – if any sound is detected, there is a high chance that something unfortunate is to come. The anxiety level was extreme in this film – along with the characters, the audience was fearful of what they didn’t know. The characters know, but viewers are unaware of how the world came to be like this or how these creatures showed up. Thus, being left completely in the dark makes things seem scarier than they are.

The intensity of the film will make you feel stressed, worried, and tense all at once. I’m not going to lie — I did cry during this movie. I even went home and cried more. I refuse to spoil it, but one moment ripped my heart out of my body and stomped on it.

It wasn’t all about making the audience scared — it was about encouraging viewers to feel for a family in what appears to be an inescapable, dangerous world. The storytellers managed to create a story, specifically an ending, that is incredibly moving.

A Quiet Place is not a stereotypical horror film. Everyone on the crew stepped outside the box and created an anxiety-inducing movie focused on how far people would go to protect those they love.

The film was well crafted, which earns it 5/5 stars in my book. As for diversity, I believe the film earned 4.5/5 stars. Regan, the daughter of Lee and Evelyn, is deaf. Millicent Simmonds, the actress who plays Regan, is deaf in real life, adding authenticity to the story. Moreover, the whole cast learned sign language to communicate effectively in this silent world.

The film is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, but in the mean time, check out the trailer here! Make sure to watch this before the sequel comes out this September (you can watch the trailer for the sequel here).

A Quiet Place is rated PG-13 for terror and some bloody images.