In the last decade the horror genre has been muddled with mediocre and terrible movies. Riddled with lame jump scares and poor main characters, the genre was seen as a joke. However, it seems to be coming back. With Oscar winner Get Out and now A Quiet Place, the genre has been getting secretly better. A Quiet Place is a fresh take on the horror genre, with intelligent and realistic characters, plenty of scary moments, and a vivid setting.

The movies takes place in 2020, with sightless extraterrestrial, but extremely hearing sensitive. Earth has been overrun by these creatures. The Abbott family learns to survive this apocalypse by scavenging for supplies and using American Sign Language to communicate.

John Krasinski stars as the devoted family man, Lee Abbott, and he also directs it. He is most famous for being the everyday man “Jim”, from The Office. However, with this movie, he has distanced himself from that image with his gripping performance. His wife Emily Blunt also plays his wife, Evelyn, in the movie. They have three children, their deaf daughter, Regan, played by Millicent Simmons, oldest child Marcus, played by Noah Jupe, and youngest child Beau, played by Cade Woodward. All the actors turn in captivating performances, and it makes the family come off as realistic and intelligent.

For example, the family puts down sand to muffle their footsteps, and they eat off leaves so the plates don’t make noise. The family makes smart choices and are realistic characters, unlike other horror movie characters. The score always brings tension into the film. Every time the music plays, it made my mind race about what was coming. With the setting, characters, and the music, it gives the movie an authentic feeling, while being in a post apocalyptic world

However, if you get really nitpicky there are some problems. The characters use electricity, so how does the creature not hear it? Also, the creature isn’t that scary looking when shown, and the weakness the family exploits seems obvious. But the movie still kept me on my toes and wondering what’s going to happen next.

I would recommend this movie to anyone, it is a thrill ride, and enjoyable. A Quiet Place will go down as one of the best horror movies in this decade.

Rating: A-