There are few things as simply enjoyable as a story with a monster in it. So here we have a horror film with a unique concept: what if the monsters responds to sound? John Krasinski (star of the American version of The Office) directs, co-writes and stars alongside his real life and on-screen wife, Emily Blunt, in a genre that neither is associated with.
Set in 2020, after some form of apocalypse, the Abbott family live in near-silence every day, trying to survive in a world where any sound could betray them an lead to their doom. Their daughter is deaf (played by Millicent Simmonds, who is deaf in real life and helped to teach the cast and crew to use sign language), which means they have an advantage: they already know how to sign to one another. Otherwise, one of the many joys of the films is watching how the Abbotts have muffled their lifestyles in order to exist in a muted world.
Krasinski is new to the horror genre but proves, just as Jordan Peele did with Get Out last year, that a comedy background can actually be an asset to the genre if you’ve got a killer idea. There is little in the way of guts and gore, no sex, no swearing. It’s almost entirely about the dread. This is created and sustained well from beginning to end. Also, there’s just enough character development to make you care about and understand these characters too; this is helped by great performances all round in a film where barely any words are spoken.
Interestingly, this is where the film also both succeeds and fails. This can only be seen in a quiet environment as the rustling of a popcorn truly ruins the atmosphere. Having said this, arguably this is more the problem of audiences than the film but it should be taken into account for a cinematic experience. In short, make sure you see it at a place and a time when the idiots aren’t in. It’s always great to see a film that can achieve so much with so little dialogue, though. Despite this, it does use a standard score, which is understandable, but it would have been interesting to see a braver cut that didn’t manipulate viewers with the music.
On to the creature design, Krasinski knows how to show just enough of a monster to be satisfying but not enough for them to lose impact. To be honest, the creatures are genuinely fantastic and intimidating. They have echoes of the Cloverfield beast and the seminal necromorph from the Alien franchise. They feel brutal and unrelenting but have been given just enough disadvantage to make the film work. It’s glorious.
That being said, this is a film that won’t scare people that are really into their horror. It’s a good enough concept that non-horror fans will see it but, in truth, this means it feels slightly toned-down. This is also an issue of having a small cast as there aren’t many candidates to be bumped off so you know people are safe for at least a certain amount of time.
There are one or two jump scares but this film promotes what parents would do for their children and largely forgoes the stupidity shown by characters seen in a lot of horror films – barring one or two instances. It’s a great lesson in tension and, whilst not perfect, another great addition to mainstream horror with a brain.
A guy who likes movies... 