I’m not that big on horror films. So why did I see A Quiet Place and why did I actually enjoy it? Continue reading to find out.

In John Krasinski’s horror directorial debut, we meet the Abbot Family, living in a post-apocalyptic town. But they’re not alone. The town is filled with creatures of extraterrestrial origin that have a keen sense of hearing. Make noise, they will hunt it – and you – down. The Abbots have survived and continue to live in this new, silent world despite all of this. We also find out, through the course of the film, that the parents (played by Krasinski and Emily Blunt) will do everything to protect their children from these creatures.

I never thought I’d say it but I enjoyed this film. I liked the fact that A Quiet Place falls in the horror category but didn’t go over the top with blood and gore; a main reason why I’m not a fan of many horror films. In fact, Krasinski takes conventions of the horror film and flips them on their head (see, Get Out).

A point of criticism for me comes during a scene at the river with Krasinski’s Lee Abbott and his son, Marcus (Noah Jupe). In the scene, Lee tells Marcus that small sounds are safe and big sounds are not safe unless surrounded by bigger sounds. In this case, they are surrounded by the loudness of the river, so it’s okay to make some noise. I found this to be lame and too convenient. It seemed like this was just tossed in the plot for some odd reason and it really did not serve a purpose.

That said, A Quiet Place is an excellent film that I was pleasantly(?) surprised with. Keep a lookout for it when Oscar season is upon us.

I Give It An: A