Sommerleigh Pollonais – Horror Head Writer
DAY 25
Movie: A Quiet Place (2018)
Plot: In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from blind monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.
Review: Don’t say his name five times while looking in a mirror. Don’t go swimming alone. Don’t feed the Gremlins after midnight. Some of the best horror movies have rules or gimmicks that make the experience of watching them all the more intense. But the best ones take these rules and execute them with such perfect dexterity you will never forget them long after they’ve gone.
I remember being in cinema (ah, the good old days) and the crowd was so quiet, the crackle of a bag of popcorn sounded like a gunshot. It was amazing, and I’m sure everyone who saw A Quiet Place this way has a similar story. John Krasinski (The Office/13 Hours) wrote and directed this simple yet thrilling tale of a family trying not just to survive, but to live happily together in a post-apocalyptic world.
It’s not difficult to buy into their dynamic as Emily Blunt, his real-life spouse, plays his wife and mother to his three kids. When tragedy strikes and they lose one of them, he becomes even more driven to protect them. Whether it means creating a listening device for his deaf daughter (played by real-life deaf actress, Millicent Simmonds) or teaching his son (Noah Jupe) the importance of being brave in the face of terror, this is a man who will sacrifice all to protect the ones he loves.
Some of my absolute favourite horror movies were made up of a small group of people in one or two locations. Simple and effective, A Quiet Place is directed with attention paid to every little detail, helping to build a world you can immerse yourself into while completely buying into the narrative that’s unfolding.
The sound design plays an extremely important factor in a film such as this, and the way Krasinski directs these moments will have a physical effect on you, the viewer, as you may find yourself literally holding your breath and doing your best not to move, like you’re part of this apocalyptic world. Scenes that focus on a nail sticking through a board will make you flinch long before it comes into play because we’ve seen what happens to those who make a sound louder than a whisper. Take note folks, this is how you craft an iconic thriller.
At its heart, A Quiet Place is a relatable, grounded story, hidden in the depths of a tense horror story. A parent’s greatest nightmare is losing a child, or not preparing them enough for the difficulties life may bring to them. The monsters outside may be alien in this film, but the real world is filled with their own versions which are capable of equally horrific deeds.
2020 has been like a mini-apocalypse for most of humanity, but if there is one lesson we can take away from A Quiet Place, a film where a child is born into a world filled with uncertainty and literal monsters, is that life and the good people who fight for it, will always find a way.
Sommer’s Score: 8.5 out of 10
Are you a fan of A Quiet Place? For part 24 of 31 Days Of Horror and my review of Get Out you can click here. And for more than 100 horror movie reviews and lists you can check out the RMR horror section here.
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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