Early Review buzz from SXSW has multiple critics raving about the John Krasinski’s hush-hush tale of a family trying to survive in a place infested by monsters, by being as quiet as they can.
The trailers have been compelling. According to Collider.com, critics were treated to an early screening of A Quiet Place at the SXSW film festival. Alicia Malone of Screen Junkies held her breath through the movie. Caleb Masters claimed that the crowd went wild after the credits. Now, not having been to SXSW, I would doubt that a group of professional, and perhaps jaded, movie critics goes crazy very often… so color me hyped for the release!
There is something utterly intriguing about horror movies that play it quiet. So often now, at the cinema, the Dolby is cranked so loud that you sometimes have to cover your ears. I had to do that for The Last Jedi, where even the brass fanfare was too much for me… made me feel OLD… but I wasn’t alone in that audience who got hammered by the audio. Hot on the heels of another great horror film about being quiet, Don’t Breathe, this proves that by playing with the contrast of sound, you can get a ton of emotional punch. It also helps that when it gets really quiet you can hear the audience nervously fumble around in their seats, and their reactions are punctuated even more by the transition from silence to spooks. This is how jump scares are supposed to work, right? Hopefully, they don’t overdo it, but from all points, it seems like we’re going to get a great ride.
Another very interesting trend is the move from TV comedy to Horror film. Last year, it was Jordan Peele. This year it’s John Krasinski, whom you may know better as Jim from NBC’s The Office. There’s a primal connection between laughing and screaming that seems to translate well for these guys. Before them, it was Rob Reiner and Misery. (Though he got to have several films under his belt before he directed Misery…. unlike Krasinski and Peele who are comparably new to film directing.) Is this a trend we’ll continue to see? If A Quiet Place becomes a hit, like Get Out, you can bet that more production companies will be looking for that next comedy actor to horror director star in waiting.
So, Do We Want to See It?
Eric:
Ummmm… ya think? I’ll be there opening night! The only question is if I dare get any snacks and drink to get in the way of all the quiet in the theater. The sense that I’m getting is that this is going to be one of the best horror films of the year, so I gotta see if the hype pays off.
Amy:
I’ll be giving this one a miss. It seems like they’ve got a gimmick that they will try unsuccessfully to build a movie around. I read a book called Bird Box where a woman and her kids need to travel without seeing, stumbling around with blindfolds on, that sort of thing. This seems like the same crap but with a different bodily sense. I think the only reason to see this would be to see what the “they” looks like.
Robert:
Yep! I’ll be watching this one. I have a hard time turning down movies with creepy critters in ’em. I agree with Amy that it’s gimmicky and not super original; don’t make a sound, stay in the light, etc. has been used as the centerpiece of movies before, but I’m okay with it as long as they’re somewhat clever about it. I like the idea that they have to talk in sign language, for example. Or, that they marked the non-creaky spots on the wooden floor and put down some kind of sand to deaden the sound of their footsteps. I look forward to seeing what other adaptations they had to make to keep from turning into something’s lunch.
Mike:
a) Jim Halpert being quiet? Interesting. Not something I’d ever think I’d see. b) Wouldn’t the fire make crackling noises? Yes? No? Maybe? Kind of seems like that’s a noise-maker right there. c) Spindly-freaky-alien-y-monsters in a dystopian landscape? I say “yes.”
In an era of over-wrought, loud, and silly looking CGI, it’s safe to say we could all live with a little more quiet in our lives — and certainly, “A Quiet Place.”
A Quiet Place hits the theaters in the US on April 6!
Here to keep the hype machine rolling is the most current Trailer for A Quiet Place:
(Kids and their damned toys!)