I Bet You Didn't See... A Quiet Place

Now, I am not a huge fan of modern horror. Much of the time I find it gratuitously violent and gory. Horror films I tend to find enjoyable or agreeable (as you will have learned) are camp and old-school horror, such as House of Wax and The Haunted Palace.

Alfred Hitchcock once said that if you insert the idea of the horror of a film into the viewer's mind, you allow the fear, anxiety and anticipation to manifest in their minds. Essentially, the more you make them think could happen or might happen, the less you actually need to happen.

Take Psycho, for example. One of the most iconic horror films of all time where you see one murder. It builds the torment and the anxiety in the viewer's mind without needing too much more on the screen until the big reveal at the end. It allows Hitchcock to build up your knowledge of the characters.

A Quiet Place (2018) is an interesting take on this idea. You are told form the beginning without any exposition other than the title, what the characters can and can't do. It also explains a lot about the character's without the need for much of a script.

The viewer has a lot of information built up in a short space of time. It is then a matter of timing. In order to thrill the viewer, you need to give them something to expect and then deliver it unexpectedly. Having aliens that only attack sounds is a good device for this. And having a hugely devastating moment right at the beginning of the film is very good. you usually expect this midway through, but having one at the beginning and end is a technique not often used.

Films with little dialogue have to be captivating. A Quiet Place shows you the family dynamic and relationships through a script predominantly done in sign language, with two key points that hold what little dialogue the film has, showing subtly key set ups for the ending.

The acting also needs to be right in a film like this, and they did get it right. It's been over a year since the aliens appeared, and the children in the family are still adjusting to life, especially after the early shock. It is a lot more realistic and relatable that way too.

Why would you get pregnant in this situation?

It's still not my kind of movie, but it is a good film for the genre. It's clever, it's intense and it's not too bloody either.

Directed by: John Krasinski

Starring: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt

Release Date: 9 March 2018

Rating: 7/10