“A Quiet Place”: The terrifying silence

BY JULIA WENGIER

A tale of horror that hits close to home for many of its viewers, “A Quiet Place” effectively grasps the emotions of those watching and keeps the stakes high at all times. It mixes sheer horror with issues that kids and parents face daily to result in a truly terrifying story that goes deeper than surface-level.

John Krasinski, who wrote and directed the film, stars as the father of a family that has survived the introduction of blind but sound-sensitive monsters that live to hunt. The movie is centered around the push-pull dynamic within the family as they try to remain silent to stay alive.

The movie is centered around the push-pull dynamic within the family as they try to remain silent to stay alive.

This dynamic is introduced in just the first scene when one of the brothers wants to play with a loud rocket toy. Tensions rise when, after the father doesn’t allow it, the deaf daughter of the family gives the toy back to her brother. The brother is killed in this opening scene, which emotionally draws in the viewer as they sympathize with the entire family and empathize with their grief.

The story continues around a year later, following the father’s supposed favoritism towards his remaining son (Noah Jupe) and his coldness to his daughter (Millicent Simmonds). The viewers are introduced to the methods that the family and other survivors use to communicate in silence, like sign language, signal fires and a light system.

The film centers around the strong love within a family, focusing on the interdependence needed for survival and the extent one will go to protect their loved ones. Sacrifices are shown on both ends, parent and child, for the good of the group.

Sacrifices are shown on both ends, parent and child, for the good of the group.

The actors do an incredible job of portraying their character’s feelings and actions without the use of dialogue. They convey their fear, anxiety, despair, and their love for each other not with powerful, impactful monologues but through legitimate facial expressions and mannerisms throughout the movie. Krasinski’s wife, Emily Blunt, plays his wife in the film, adding a new dimension of emotion.

“A Quiet Place” captures the gaping hole of silence to make the fear factor stronger. Krasinski implemented moments of complete, uncomfortable silence to supplement the “jump scares” of loud and sudden noises. These moments happened very little in comparison to the amount of dead-silent scenes, but the effect of dead silence assisted in creating truly unexpected and effective jump scares.

Krasinski went deeper than many horror films out there. Typically, horror movies exist to scare the viewers, especially with fictional monsters or paranormal activity. Many of these movies lack key components needed, like effective plot development, character development, themes or additional meaning that can be tied into the lives of the viewers.

“A Quiet Place,” however, is more than just a scary movie. Its plot develops in a way that maintains the suspense and high levels of anxiety that don’t resolve. It’s easy for the viewer to become emotionally invested in the characters’ lives and development, as they are not the flat characters that are typically involved in popular horror movies.

“A Quiet Place,” however, is more than just a scary movie. Its plot develops in a way that maintains the suspense and high levels of anxiety that don’t resolve.

This pull of the viewers’ emotions is significant to the movie’s success. To feel true terror in the cinema, the audience must be fully immersed in the story. “A Quiet Place” uses silence and emotional involvement to capture its viewers and provide a sense of authentic horror.

Photo courtesy of IndieWire