Star of the U.S. remake of Ricky Gervais’ The Office and rom-coms ranging from It’s Complicated to License to Wed, you wouldn’t look to John Krasinski to direct a nail-biting, sensory-scintillating horror-thriller. But here we are with A Quiet Place, a film built on a strong concept that delivers on its promise, exploiting the vulnerability of the ear to craft sequences of sweat-dropping tension that shake and exhilarate in equal measure.
Based in a post-apocalyptic future, Krasinski stars as Lee Abbott, husband of Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and father of three, Regan (Millicent Simmonds), Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Beau (Cade Woodward). Scavenging for food and spare parts to repair their radio and Regan’s hearing aids, the family also find themselves treading carefully across the time-ravaged land, due to the arrival of mysterious creatures that roam freely: blinded but able to harness an amplified aural range, these monsters demand complete silence in order to survive, a law of endurance that is continually challenged over the film’s runtime.
!['The cast are essential to the [film's] success...Krasinski himself is excellent as Lee...But it is relative newcomer Millicent Simmonds that steals the show.': Millicent Simmonds as Regan, John Krasinski as Lee. © Paramount Pictures](http://cubmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/MV5BNDk0NjU2ODE5Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTk0MzQxNTM@._V1_SX1500_CR001500999_AL_-300x200.jpg)
‘The cast are essential to the [film’s] success…Krasinski himself is excellent as Lee…But it is relative newcomer Millicent Simmonds that steals the show.’: Millicent Simmonds as Regan, John Krasinski as Lee. © Paramount Pictures
That being said, A Quiet Place does rely a little too heavily on jump scares, a technique I’ve always found to be cheap and a little lazy. When the scares hit hardest, they come about as a result of a slow build-up, subtle foreshadowing or the delicate touch of framing and focus, revealing the looming presence of a creature from behind one of our protagonists. But when they turn to the abrupt blow of a musical note or the immediate eruption of cacophonic sound, it can feel jarring and as a result, fails to produce the desired effect.
That’s not to say that Krasinski’s technique is at all unnoteworthy. The predominantly comedic star has announced himself as the surprise directorial talent of the year, confidently constructing an original project that is clearly built on a moral code he values dearly. Watch any promotional interview with Krasinski and you’ll see the actor/director profess his ambition to portray familial life at its purest, an aspiration that he achieves with flying colours.

‘[Krasinski, a] predominantly comedic star has announced himself as the surprise directorial talent of the year.’ © Paramount Pictures
Of course, A Quiet Place falls victim to the usual horror narrative tropes that we’ve seen time and time again. A deus ex machina that conveniently saves our heroes? Check. A daft decision that puts our protagonists in danger? Of course it’s there. A bad case of “Chekov’s Gun”, with a number of objects perpetuating key plot developments? A Quiet Place has it. But it’s so cleverly constituted, so wonderfully performed and so refreshing to the senses that these flaws are mere whispers on the wind. From a sequence involving a bathtub that’ll have you wincing between your fingers, to the depiction of typical household chores, charged with an unnerving energy for fear of the discharge of sound, A Quiet Place populates its runtime with so many memorable moments that it stands, effective immediately, as one of the sounder horror-thrillers of the year so far. Mr. Krasinski, we impatiently hold our breath, awaiting your next foray into filmmaking.
Rating: 4/5