A Quiet Place is hands down, the best post-apocalyptic horror flick I’ve watched in recent memory!
I loved the tension; I loved the characters; I loved the very unique narrative; I loved the scary monsters; and I absolutely loved the didn’t-see-that-coming ending.
Horror flicks are no longer scary to me, as almost all have taken to the lazy in-your-face and overt attempts to startle or submerge you in buckets of disturbing gore: that’s provocation, not horror. Gone are the scenes dripping with edge-of-your-seat tension, deftly building up to an earth-shattering crescendo, that hits you with that don’t-know-what’s-coming-next climax at the very end.
I’ve missed those very rare films with the I-can’t-look finale, so that when it’s over your mouth is hanging open as wide as the Grand Canyon, or you’re roaring like your team just won the fricking world championship. Most of these elements have been painfully absent from horror movies in recent years.
Until now.
A Quiet Place, staring Emilie Blunt and real-life husband (and the director) John Krasinski, masterfully delivers on all of these elements, and so much more.
I’ve written nine novels, and each can certainly be called horror. So I have developed a true love for story craft. My necessities for a really good movie and book now must include a tight and thrilling storyline, rich characters you’ll cheer for, and a conclusion that has at least a little bit of a Sixth-Sense wow-factor. I admit, this is a high bar. But this movie definitely surpasses my tests.
I’ve now watched this film twice. Usually, even with movies I’ve liked, the second time is where I always find the errors and often silliness. There’s no silliness here. This one starts with one of the best first scenes in a flick I can remember. It’s horrible and yet brilliant and it sets the stage for the nail-biting tension that crawls up your spine the rest of the movie, until the masterful end. Hint: watch for the superbly dished out clues to help you answer most of the important why’s you’ll have about a world where humans are pushed to the brink of extinction.
A Quiet Place will leave you breathless, horse from yelling your warnings to “Watch out!” at the characters or cheering them on, and finally you’ll be contemplating this fine movie long after it’s finished. It’s truly the ultimate in the craft of horror or thriller movie making. And I hope Krasinski wins many awards for it. It’s one of my ten favorite horror films of all time and I loved it.
I’m pretty sure you will too.
I, too, asked this movie. The one that got me leaning the lights on most recently, though, was a film titled ‘Hereditary’… Warning, you may be permanently, psychologically, scarred after viewing. Any horror movie that keeps me guessing, had a fresh storyline, and actors who can draw you in on a real world emotional level – yeah, it’s good.
Another excellent movie? ‘It Follows’
I signed up for your newsletters, and Just finished “Madness,” at least the first book. Two and three will be read as far as I can devour the excellence. I agree with the old rise from the dead to eat brains yada yada is quite unbelievable. What caught my eye the other day was an article titled ” Scientists Given Permission to Resurrect the Dead Using Stem Cells.” Mull that one into your writer’s brain blender!
Happy to be reading your books,
Meg in Maine
Thanks Meg in Maine for your comments and thanks for reading Madness. Symptomatic (book #3) is coming out next Monday. So if you pre-ordered it, you’ll see it Sunday/Monday.
I read about the dead cell resurrection, which of course was reported as “zombie cells” (eyes rolling). Stupid reporting aside, there’s a lot of promise to this technology… as long as recipients don’t start yearning flesh. ;^)