If the coronavirus doesn’t wipe us out, A Quiet Place Part II should be out soon. Hence I thought it would be a good occasion to check out the 2018 original. In all honesty, A Quiet Place isn’t really that spectacular. Despite some good scares, the characters and worldbuilding bring it down.

In a post-apocalyptic world where most people have been devoured by blind but noise-sensitive creatures, a family of four tries to survive as they prepare for the arrival of a fifth member in the form of a new born baby.   

The Characters

From the very beginning, there is lots of potential for conflict and drama. We learn that the family of four used to be a family of five as one year earlier the youngest was killed by a creature, shattering the quartet with grief and despair.

Regan, the oldest daughter, feels responsible for her younger sibling’s demise. She thinks that her father, Lee, blames her for it and doesn’t love her. Lee suspects his daughter’s dislike for him and wants to reassure her. This is a good set up for drama but unfortunately none ever emerges. The plot invades and distracts Regan and Lee with attacks from the creatures, abandoning their conflict. This wouldn’t be a huge issue if the plot didn’t return to their drama and try and get us invested again, when we feel the film hasn’t given it enough time to earn our empathy.

The Worldbuilding

While the premise clearly borrows a lot from other horror films like Tremors and The Descent, it still has an original angle with its suburban setting and occasional hints at a bigger world. We see how the family have adapted to the creatures’ presence with their use of sign language and total elimination of loud objects.

It’s an interesting world and I’m looking forward to the sequel in the hopes that we’ll see more of it. However, in this film the world has a few holes. For example, the hearing range of the creatures is never established. Hence you’re left very confused when inside the house, Regan accidently smashes a lantern, the creatures outside don’t appear yet when a rattling jar is only feet away from one of them, it doesn’t react.

Moments like these are very problematic for the film’s horror as without a fully established threat, we don’t know what to be scared of and when. Speaking of which.

The Horror

In specific scenes the horror is weak due to the lack of worldbuilding, in other scenes however it works. These scenes usually occur outside where we don’t know where the creatures are and how far away. When they’re outside, you’re on edge. It’s quite like the original Paranormal Activity or the most recent Invisible Man as you’re just sitting, waiting for a loud noise.

This is one of the few cases where an abundance of jumpscares actually works to a horror film’s advantage. Unlike most recent horror films, every jumpscare in A Quiet Place means something. Every loud noise immediately attracts creatures so not only do you jump from fright but you become tense as you know what’s coming.

As I said, the horror works best when the characters are outside but when in the house and questions about hearing ranges emerge, you become distracted and the tension evaporates.

Despite the interesting premise and some good scares, A Quiet Place feels half of what it could’ve been. The worldbuilding and lack of drama just makes it no better than an average Blumhouse horror. If you’re into apocalyptic horror and sci-fi, I recommend it but don’t expect anything great.

I give A Quiet Place an ok 6 out of 10.