A Quiet Place
The Plot
A family must live in total silence to avoid attracting the deadly, sightless creatures which have already wiped out most of human civilization. Drawn immediately to the slightest unnatural sound, the creatures are lightning fast and, once they find you, nearly inescapable. The Abbot family is one of the few who has survived, using ASL to communicate and learning to consciously muffle every sound they make. But they can only be so quiet—and as soon as they slip up, the creatures are waiting.
The Breakdown
One of the best horror movies to come out so far this year with a concept that will remain fresh and interesting for the foreseeable future, A Quiet Place is tense, tender, and hair-raising. It sets up a series of Chekov’s guns and then fires them off, one after the other. The scenes of normal, everyday life before the terror begins make this movie something really special; the family story is well-rounded and heartfelt in the midst of an inventive monster movie. The little touches in the characters’ soundless lives make the concept feel whole and lived-in. And of course, any movie which relies so heavily on silence is immediately going to be taut as razor wire.
The Scare Factor
More tense than frightening, A Quiet Place nonetheless deserves a spot in any quality horror marathon; it’s smart, stylish, with a genuine heart. And it will certainly keep your blood pressure high from beginning to end, with the unbearable silence making it hard to even breathe.