A Quiet Place is an extremely effective horror movie, not only because its unique premise is played to the hilt, but also because the filmmakers emphasize the importance of the characters and their personal stories. Plus, the movie will scare the crap out of you.
Earth has apparently been overrun by predatory alien creatures who are blind but have a heightened sense of hearing. A family living on a farm has managed to survive due to the fact that the eldest daughter (deaf actress Millicent Simmonds from last year's Wonderstruck) is deaf and that they all can communicate through sign language. However, they are still mourning the death of their youngest child, who was a victim of the creatures. The father is played by John Krasinski, who you will know as Jim from TV's The Office, and who also directed this film. His real-life wife, the always excellent Emily Blunt, plays the pregnant mother here.
Krasinski knows how to pace his movie and build tension. The first half of this 90-minute thriller sets up the rules and develops characters, then the second half is like a free-fall into terror. Every time you think a crisis is over, another one immediately pops up. This second half is unrelenting in its suspense. The director also knows precisely when to use composer Marco Beltrami's ferocious score and when to keep a scene so quiet that you can hear a pin drop.
So, maybe there is one crisis too many, but there is no denying that A Quiet Place is a nail-biter. This is the kind of horror movie that stays with you and makes you check under the bed and in the closet before you head off to slumberland.
