A Review of John Krasinski's "A Quiet Place"

Distancing himself from his most widely known role as Jim Halpert on the U.S. version of the The Office, John Krasinski proves that he is far more than just an actor with only his third installment as a director. He, along with co-screenwriters Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, create a world where even the slightest sound could mean death. The result of their efforts is one of the most stunning, immersive, and emotional horror films to come out of the United States in recent years – A Quiet Place.

Lee and Evelyn Abbott (portrayed by John Krasinski himself and his actual wife Emily Blunt) as well as their three children (played by Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, and Cade Woodward) take extreme care to make no noise while searching an abandoned supermarket for medication and supplies. It doesn’t take long for the importance of sound to become apparent as the family communicates using exclusively sign language. The words “Day 89” appear on the screen giving a time frame for the silence, but the question remains – why must everything be so quiet?

Luckily, we don’t have to wait very long as the youngest child’s fascination with a forbidden toy quickly gives a us a reason. The noise and flashing lights of the battery-operated space ship are accompanied by a swift, brutal attack by what the family has been evading the whole time. The monster is introduced, the gravity of the situation is made evident, and the future of the Abbott family is left unclear all within a matter of seconds.

The film launches to “Day 472”, over a year into the future, where Evelyn and the family readies for the difficulties of bringing a newborn child into a silent world, while Lee searches for ways to stop and kill the creature that took their last child from them. All the while, their two remaining children struggle to cope with the harsh reality of the world they live in. 

Every hardship and issue that the Abbott family faces must be done in silence, which Krasinski uses to his advantage in the creation of tension and suspense. In a world where sound is deadly, but ultimately inevitable, the visual storytelling of A Quiet Place immerses the audience into the film’s reality, one where they are fearful to even breathe.  

The creatures – and yes there are several of them – are some of the most significant visual aspects employed by Krasinski throughout the film. The creatures are utterly terrifying, as they are swift, aggressive, and have insatiable appetites. They are blind; however, the find their way around the post-apocalyptic world and locate prey using sound alone. In a setting where sound is everything, the creatures are ideal for building suspense quickly.

Krasinski uses the creatures to perfection as a mean to set the points of sonic tension that are explored through unrestricted narration. A pair of batteries that belong to a toy or a nail sticking up from a staircase become associated with certain sounds that carry huge importance in the silent world. We as the audience are aware of the noises these objects will ultimately generate; however, it’s the waiting to see when the noise will present itself and how the monster will react that creates anxiety.

A Quiet Place isn’t fantastic just because of the creatures though; it's the performances from every actor involved are so captivating. The acting relies heavily on facial expression and movement, but that doesn’t hinder any of the actors from giving heartfelt and intense performances. Blunt gives one of the most grisly, spine-chilling performances during the birth of her new child, but it’s the relationship between Krasinski and Millicent Simmonds that pushes the film over the edge during the film’s heart wrenching climatic moment.

Unfortunately, Krasinski doesn’t seem to trust his directing ability just yet, as the film relies a little too heavily on composer Marco Beltrami’s score to indicate tense moments. With a film as void of sound as A Quiet Place, the over reliance on instrumentation makes the most terrifying moments feel stale and overdone after a few encounters with the monsters.

A Quiet Place is truly one of the most unique horror films to hit theaters in recent years because of just how immersive it is. It makes you forget that you’re not actually in the Abbott’s world. In the end, you will leave the film with a real sense of relief. Fortunately, you can make noise without fear of some giant creature devouring you.