Last year, quite a cinematic anomaly occurred – Jordan Peele, the goofy comedian best known for his surreal and unrestrained sketch comedy stylings, wrote and directed Get Out, a film that entirely obliterated the expectations of every single viewer. The film was a scathing social commentary, a darkly hilarious statement on society, and an utterly terrifying horror film, making it an experience quite like any other from the past few years in horror cinema. One of the pivotal areas of discourse relating to Get Out was the fact that it was such an effective, subversive horror film, yet it was made by one of the most endearing comedic actors working today, which was somewhat unexpected. In quite an interesting turn of events, this year presents us with another example of a comedic actor proving himself to be a horror film auteur, with John Krasinski, the star of The Office and a range of middling romantic comedies, crafting one of the most audacious and original horror films of the past decade. A Quiet Place has the suspense of The Shining, the uncanny rurality of The Wicker Man and the unhinged terror of all the great invasion horror films. Unlike Get Out, this film does not have an ounce of humor in it and proves to be an unrestrained, thrilling survival film that managed to terrify me beyond belief.

A Quiet Place is set in the near-future, in a post-apocalyptic version of our world. The majority of the population seems to have been exterminated by extraterrestrial invaders, creatures that are blind, but have advanced hearing, and thus hunt entirely on sound. The film focuses on the Abbott family, led by patriarch Lee (John Krasinski) who has many responsibilities to handle – he needs to take care of his heavily-pregnant wife Evelyn (Emily Blunt), and provide for his two children, Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Regan (Millicent Simmonds), all the while attempting to make contact with the outside world, and trying to find a way to destroy these creatures that they live in fear of. The family lives in their isolated farmhouse, with the creatures lurking just in the shadows, anxiously awaiting a sound to alert them to their prey. In order to survive, the family has to rely on communication through American Sign Language, as even the smallest sound can result in a vicious attack from them malevolent creatures that linger not far beyond their home. The family struggles to survive, especially through the growing complications that arise, such as the birth of the newest addition to the family, and the fact that deaf daughter Regan is starting to grow disillusioned with what she perceives to be the distance from her father, especially due to her negligence resulting in the death of her youngest brother, which occurs in the first few minutes of this film, with that tragedy lingering over the family much in the same way as the creatures that threaten to slaughter them.

This film has something quite unusual for a horror film of this ilk – it has a cast of only four performers (there are two further characters that have only one appearance each throughout the film), which sets a A Quiet Place up as already quite a horror film, as it isn’t one that will rely on gratuitous violence through disposable deaths, but rather one that will focus on building relationships between the audience and the characters in the film, making us care very deeply about them. The two main roles are played by Krasinski himself, and his real-life spouse Emily Blunt. Both are great performers in their own right, and even Kransinski himself, despite making his career in goofier comedic fare, has proven himself to be quite reliable as a dramatic actor. Blunt is one of the great actresses of her generation, being able to appear authentic and nuanced in nearly every performance she gives (she was even wickedly entertaining in the otherwise ill-fated The Girl on the Train). The chemistry between the two leads was obviously very palpable, they there was a sense of true genuine emotion that radiated from them throughout this film. Blunt is as reliable as ever, but it is Krasinski who truly impressed me, with his performance as a dedicated and loving father who wants to help his family survive by any means necessary, is poignant. It is a nuanced performance, and he commits to the role in a way that I doubt many of us were expecting. A Quiet Place is notable as being Kransinski’s breakthrough as a rising auteur, but his performance should not go ignored, because it really is a tremendously moving portrayal of a man trying to survive.

However, despite the wonderful performances from Krasinski and Blunt, the true stars of A Quiet Place were the two children. Millicent Simmonds made quite a debut last year in the underseen Wonderstruck and received positive notices that noted her potential as a promising young actress. Unfortunately, such high praise for a child performer can be quite disastrous and considering Simmonds is also hearing-impaired, it could be considered to be quite likely that she has many hurdles to face. A Quiet Place defies this conception and gives her a remarkable role that allows her the opportunity to show her true potential. Regan is a complex character – conflicted, defiant but ultimately broken at the thought that she is responsible for the tragically horrific death of her youngest brother. Simmonds is marvelous, and she conveys so much through so little. Her expressiveness and her ability to draw empathy from the most subdued moment leads me to believe (if not sincerely hope) that she will have an extraordinary career. Noah Jupe, who was one of the only redeeming elements of the utterly awful Suburbicon last year, is terrific in A Quiet Place, and while much of the heavy work is delegated to his three co-stars, Jupe holds his own against the more distinctive performances, playing Marcus as a boy trying desperately to overcome his sheer terror through a veneer of courage and bravery. The cast as a whole work well together, with their chemistry being extraordinary and their individual performances being remarkable.

It seems almost a pointless exercise to review a well-regarded contemporary horror film, because, for a genre that is often perceived to rely on the exact same cliches and tropes, it is also the genre in which the most fascinating work is being done, particularly by independent filmmakers. Therefore, whether it be The Visit or Split or Get Out or any of these well-received modern horror films, I doubtlessly end up praising it for its originality. A Quiet Place is most certainly joining those hallowed ranks, and I may be so daring as to consider it to have the most audacious premise out of most recent horror films. What is so surprising is that the originality does not come from a truly innovative story – A Quiet Place is constructed out of a plethora of familiar horror mechanisms, such as the looming dread of malicious otherworldly creatures, a heroic set of protagonists and an abundance of suspense. What makes it so extraordinary is how Krasinski arranges these parts in a way that appears new and original, and through successful execution, it works perfectly. A Quiet Place is a straightforward, visceral horror film that never attempts to be excessive, and relies on its solid premise to convey the story. The horror is well-formed and balanced, and the film is never overwhelmed with fear, which is precisely why A Quiet Place is such an effective horror film – it manages to garner terror out of so little.

To bring this point back to Get Out (not to compare the films themselves, but rather the conditions in which the films occur), there is a common link that I feel make comedians inherently perfect fits for horror – both comedy and horror rely on the element of surprise, and are intent on garnering a natural, honest reaction from the audience. A Quiet Place is a film that does manage to terrify the audience, but there is a certain emotional resonance present in this film rarely seen in horror movies. As mentioned previously, the bond between the family is palpably strong, and these are characters we actually care very deeply about. Horror films are often overrun with oceans of vaguely unlikable teens, with one or two “final girls” that represent purity and virtue, and it often gets tiring, with the lack of complexities in such characters being shortcomings of many horror films. A Quiet Place creates characters that are fully-formed, three-dimensional figures with an abundance of personality and nuance that is unconventional for such a film. Kransinski really managed to create something special with A Quiet Place, succeeding in all three facets of making a beautiful and subversive horror film, giving a brilliant lead performance and creating a story that is meaningful and original. The emotional resonance of A Quiet Place often threatens to eclipse the central horror, and that is not necessarily a shortcoming at all.

A Quiet Place is quite a horror film, and while it has one of the most audacious and original premises of any horror film of recent years, it is also a gorgeously-made film. Unlike with Get Out, where many of the film’s rougher edges could be credited to Peele’s inexperience, with that film being his debut directorial effort, Krasinski is not entirely a newcomer, having directed two previous films (the underseen and respectable Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, an adaptation of the novel by David Foster Wallace, and the touching but mediocre The Hollars). A Quiet Place was the first time he conveyed the sense that he has some potential as a great filmmaker, proving to not merely be a charismatic performer, but someone with a distinct visual style and the ability to construct a film that is profound and fascinating, as well as being extremely well-made. The cinematography was astonishing, with Charlotte Bruus Christensen serving as director of photography, with some of her most notable work including The Hunt and Far from the Madding Crowd. The camera-work in this film was stark, with moments of sheer beauty and tranquility in the calmer scenes, being juxtaposed with rapid, quick-fire terror in the moments of the attacks.

A great horror film is one that is able to build suspense, and A Quiet Place is almost entirely reliant on the technical aspects of keeping the audience on the edge of their seats – the cinematography contributed massively, but it was the sound design that defined this film. As the title suggests (as well as the plot), sound plays an integral part of this film, and it is the instrument through which this film is able to be successful. There are only two or three scenes that feature spoken dialogue, with the rest of the film being told through sign language and thus what could not be told through words is told through other sounds. The suspense that builds from even the most insignificant and inconsequential of sounds – a footstep, the sound of a child breathing, or even the rustling of leaves – contributes to the tension of this film. Every sound is amplified, and the way in which Kransinski makes use of it is certainly unique and audacious. While the sound design of a film may not be particularly notable for many people (myself included, with Dunkirk being one of the first times I paid complete attention to the use of sound), it is pivotal to a film like A Quiet Place, and the manner in which even the most common sounds become tools of terror is astounding, and proves to make A Quiet Place quite unique.

A Quiet Place, to be perfectly obtuse and obvious, left me speechless. It is a highly-original, subversive film that defies horror conventions in favor of a well-constructed story and utterly gorgeous imagery. The cast is absolutely tremendous, with Kransinski and Simmonds being standouts of the core quartet, all of which are wonderful in their own way. John Krasinski has officially proven himself to be a filmmaker with an abundance of potential, and his painstaking work was astonishing. A Quiet Place is a film that should definitely not fade into obscurity because despite not being entirely groundbreaking, it is an original and entertaining film that terrifies and thrills in as much as it creates melancholy through the central family dynamic. It is a terrific film, a tense and horrifying experience that will surely not be forgotten any time soon. A Quiet Place is far from perfect, but for the most part, it is absolutely wonderful and extremely terrifying. Comedians really do make the best horror films, don’t they?