A Quiet Place Review: When Sound Can Kill

2018 has brought us a number of new options in the horror genre. There's "Hereditary" which tells the story of a family's grief. There's the "Suspiria" remake which warns of attending dance schools run by witches. There's the next installments in the "Halloween", "The Conjuring", "Insidious", "The Purge" and "Predator' franchises. And my favorite thus far this year is "A Quiet Place".

The movie has a novel premise. What happens when monsters arrive that only attracted by sound? They cant see or smell their prey but make one tiny noise and you're their next meal. Anyone who wants to live must be as quiet as possible. That's easier said than done. Humans are basically noisy creatures. We rely on sound to communicate, to detect danger or just to entertain ourselves.

We meet a family living in a rural setting. There's a mother (Evelyn), father (Lee), and three children. The group communicates with each other via sign language. They apparently all already knew it before the aliens arrived. That's because oldest child Regan is hearing impaired. Who knew this skill would save them during the apocalypse? Everyone walks around barefoot. They dont use dishes (too loud). They are in a constant state of danger. The monsters are horrifying. They kinda look like the creatures from"Pitch Black" if they galloped on all fours and had big ear holes and vibrating face plates.

I dont want to give too much else of the plot away so as not to ruin your enjoyment of the movie. Sure, there are some jumps in logic but who cares. It's still all great fun.

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). A gripping story about how sound can kill (and we humans are a noisy bunch). John Krasinski (who also wrote and directed) and Emily Blunt (they are married IRL) do their best to protect their family but it isnt easy. Fortunately there is enough character development in "A Quiet Place" so we care about this group and root for their survival. You'll be thinking about sound in a new way after the movie ends. Would you be able to survive in such an environment? I'm not sure I could.