A Quiet Place Parent Guide

If you’re struggling with a persistent cough after last week’s cold you may want to shop for another movie. Being a journalist with a deadline, I didn’t have a choice. So into A Quiet Place I went, armed with throat lozenges and a large drink. And yes, this is a very quiet horror movie.

Offering the typical alien monster formula, the creators of this fright fest came up with a unique twist: What if the monsters rely only on ultra-sensitive hearing to hunt their prey? With that concept in hand, the film opens in a small town that looks like something really bad has happened. A title on the screen gives us a clue – it’s day four-hundred-and-something… (Apologies, I was fishing for another cough drop and didn’t get the exact number.)

At the center of this dystopian landscape we meet a little family, Lee and Evelyn (John Krasinski and Emily Blunt) and their three children – Regan, Marcus and Beau (Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe and Cade Woodward). While the family silently scrounges the near barren shelves of an abandoned store for a little food and some leftover medication, little Beau sets his eyes on a space toy. The thing looks like something you’d want to yank the batteries from after Christmas Day… and that’s exactly what Dad does the moment he sees it. But Beau is determined, as little kids often are. When we see him refitting the double-As on the silent walk home, we know we’re about to meet the enemy.

Once the shaken family gets back to their farmhouse, we observe how humans adapt to difficult situations. Shoes are banned. Dishes and cutlery and gone. Even a game of Monopoly requires careful rolls of the dice on a soft surface. Communication relies on sign language. It’s a hushed life that is always stressful, and when a camera shot reveals Evelyn’s growing abdomen, the audience gasps at the ticking time bomb that’s coming.

Teens considering this title will likely enjoy the thrills that come with the bonus of watching a close knit family learning to depend on each other to survive. The obvious content issue will be inevitable visits from the alien creatures. Attacks are fast and furious, and the depicted remains of humans and animals include significant blood and a brief view of entrails. A birthing sequence and an injury add to the gore.

Most horror movies have a large cast of “bait” for the ubiquitous monster. This script is bold enough to have fewer innocents to choose from and none are insignificant. And that means it better have something or someone to cheer for by the time the credits roll. For the most part, the film pulls it together, but not without some unexpected turns. And while the concept is unique, some plot holes will leave you with, “Why didn’t they… ?” questions on your way home from the theater.

Yet, like other good thrillers, this one still produces a lingering effect that had me trying to stifle a badly need cough in the parking lot, lest something should prey upon this vulnerable film critic!

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.