Review of A Quiet Place (2016) by Lester P — 18 May 2018

A taut, economic horror flick with a fascinating premise and a confident execution, A Quiet Place maybe announce itself with a whisper, but it has a lot worth hearing. Being forced to keep silent in a horror film is nothing new, but the fact that the absence of sound is absolutely vital to the character's survival is a clever twist, and while the sensing of fear from After Earth may have been a better way for the creatures to hunt, the way it's pulled off here is much more fascinating and, more importantly, more unnerving.

We're exposed to sound on a constant basis; it's a necessity for us to learn and pass on information. To have that taken away on pain of a messy death makes for very tense viewing, when every tap and squeak could be the last sound a character makes or hears.

The fact that the creatures hunt on the minutest of sounds is not always consistent. Sometimes they can hear tiny noises, sometimes they can't. And a new-born baby cries when we need tension but somehow never actually attracts the bloodthirsty monsters.

In fact, he manages to go silent in any real danger situation; the exact opposite of how a real baby would react. But aside from a few little issues, A Quiet Place is yet another excellent addition to what seems to be a Golden Age of horror films.

Scary rather than gory and terse rather than excessive, if you want a horror film that will hold your full attention for an hour and 30 minutes, this is the one for you.